


First Try at a Second Chance

by Pookaseraph



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Cor is bad at Relationships, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Drama, First Time, Parental Disapproval, Some Plot, Some politics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2017-09-30
Packaged: 2019-01-07 03:46:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 46,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12225105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pookaseraph/pseuds/Pookaseraph
Summary: Cor Leonis didn't spend his life pursuing love and family and relationships, by all rights he hasn't even earned those things, but when he's forced to spend some time with his best friend's daughter, he begins to fall without even realizing it. Unfortunately, Clarus is none too happy about that development, and has every intention of keeping the two of them apart.





	First Try at a Second Chance

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to Catbutter who let me rant and rave and carry on while writing this monster.

Cor didn't like to admit it, but Regis had a point when he said that he should probably get out more. He was hardly a recluse, he was well-respected by his coworkers, and he rarely found himself without the ability to secure an evening's companionship; however, when it came time to actually attempt something that resembled a relationship... Cor could admit the task was not one he was well-suited for. He worked too much, he spent too much time out of the country, he didn't follow much of anything that passed for popular culture, and many women he talked to found his martial talents and position intimidating.

Unfortunately his few months of enforced convalescence had made him grouchy and even less in the mood to deal with Regis's prodding on the subject of Cor's personal life. It certainly didn't help that it was the first time in years he'd gotten badly injured enough to need a full retreat. It also didn't help that the arm still ached from the breaks and the damn scar from the shrapnel gash hadn't had the decency to finish healing.

"I'm just saying you could... actually try having a conversation," Regis said as the two of them - and Regis's perpetual partner in crime, Clarus - were going over the latest reports from the Niflheim fronts.

Clarus nodded.

Cor shot both of them an annoyed look before returning to his scribbling out more details about the military objectives that still awaited them in the coming days. "I have more important things to do."

"So do Regis and I," Clarus answered with his stupid, genial smile. "And yet somehow we've managed to have wives and children."

Cor ignored them both. Clarus was hardly incorrect, but Regis had gotten to marry his childhood sweetheart, someone he knew completely, and Clarus had a more political marriage, even if he loved Velouria now. Cor couldn't say that he'd ever met someone like that, someone who he felt knew him the way his friends did. He knew he was their perpetual _project_ , even nearing fifty, _especially_ nearing fifty. Sometimes it was hard not to note that a personal life had passed him by, wife, kids...

"Excuse me, Your Majesty."

Cor glanced up and saw Clarus's daughter Iris standing just off to the side of their table, having come up unannounced. He didn't know her well, even if she was his best friend's daughter; she'd recently taken to shadowing Clarus through his various administrative duties since her older brother Gladio was out on the front and showed little desire to pursue the 'Lord Amicitia' half of his lineage.

"Yes, Dear?" Regis asked with a smile.

"Lord Weskham wishes to remind Lord Amicitia that they were supposed to be going over the economical reports ten minutes ago," she answered with a smile that said she was more than happy to rag on her father in the name of propriety.

Clarus sighed, and hoisted himself up before he placed a hand on Iris's shoulder and then gently maneuvered her into taking his seat at the table. Cor watched her open her mouth to protest and then Clarus pressed a finger to her lips and then ruffled her hair. "Can't let good tea go to waste."

She took a moment to sit, brushing her hair neatly back into the artful mess she seemed to favor, and then settled into the chair and looked across the table to the two men there. A nervous smile graced her lips and then she looked down at the steaming teacup her father had left behind.

Neither he nor Regis spoke for a long moment, and Iris glanced up to them both before looking back to Regis. "I could leave."

The king shook his head. "No, we were just discussing the Marshal's--"

"Troop. Movements," Cor answered through gritted teeth, giving Regis a death stare that even the king could appreciate.

"I thought most of the fronts were going well... other than the Cartanica Coast and a few problems in Southern Gralea proper," Iris answered, turning towards Cor. At first he thought she was just being fretful, but after a moment he noted the steel in her demeanor.

"Uh... yes, Southern Gralea is the most troubling with Zegnautus Keep and the Emperor's attempt at a last stand. I'll likely be headed out in the next few days if the siege of the Keep remains at a standstill."

Iris nodded, mouth set in a firm line. "I see. I know that Gladio is there, he said it's pretty rough."

Cor didn't know exactly what to say, Gladio was her brother, but he was a grown man and a soldier in his own right. 'Yes, your brother is in danger, he's in the thick of the fighting'... "Nothing he can't handle."

Iris gave him a look, slightly annoyed almost, and Cor found himself taken aback before clearing his throat.

"Well much of the Niflheim war engine has collapsed," he explained. "The most dangerous hurdles left are the unexpected, or the desperation of the Emperor to hold onto his position... Gladio's well trained for the unexpected."

Iris smiled at that, and nodded. "He puts up with Noct, after all... um, Your Majesty."

Cor couldn't help but smile in return, and saw Regis grinning ear to ear. The Prince was well known for his impressive fighting skills and his improvisation on the field. "You don't have to tell me, Iris, he's my son." He rose after that. "But on that note, I do have Aulea to attend to, she's almost as unpredictable as my son. Do keep the Marshal company, if you would."

The girl nodded, completely guileless, and rose to bow her farewell. Cor considered his duty done when he didn't flip his monarch the bird, especially when he made a 'well, go on' gesture behind Iris's back that caused Cor to fix him with an annoyed look. When Iris turned to see what had caused it, Regis was already in retreat.

"Somehow I doubt you need to be kept company," Iris said as she settled back into the seat and then took a sip of her father's tea before making a face. She took a new cup and poured herself fresh tea. "I guess it was too much to hope for that he hadn't already overloaded it with sugar."

"Never did understand his insistence on adulterating his tea so badly." At least that was a topic he could speak on quite easily: ragging on Clarus.

"He just doesn't actually like tea," she answered with a smile, before carefully picking up the cup and taking a delicate sip. "My grandfather, Lyon, he liked his tea _really_ strong, and dad just assumed that was tea, yaknow? Mom's tried to ply him with all sorts of different teas and he just can't stand any of it. Really he's just being stubborn."

Cor had actually not known that. Clarus played many of his little foibles close to the chest, and while it was well known that he liked his tea with pounds of sugar in it, Cor had never stopped for long to wonder why. "And you?"

She shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I love an orange Jetty's, but there's a lot of really great blends and mom and I sometimes make our own when we're bored. The current reigning champ in the house is Chocobo Rooibos!"

"Chocobo?"

"It's got some gysahl in it, that's all," she answered with chuckle. "You can't take a tea to a taste test without a name."

"I was unaware that was a rule," he answered, deadpan. "And isn't it pronounced 'boss' not 'bohs'?"

He got another _look_ , one he interpreted to mean 'can't you just play along', but it didn't seem serious. "Yes, it's a rule, and... well, yeah, but it's cooler if it rhymes."

Cor couldn't exactly deny that. "Well, if Clarus can't be relied on as a judge, how do you decide the winner?"

"Oh, Jared tie-breaks if we need it or Gladdy. Sometimes we'll just agree one of ours was way better. I think we've agreed... probably four times out of five, it's only the one time that needs a tie breaker." Iris smiled after that, and Cor found himself with his own little smile. It sounded like an interesting little bonding activity for the Amicitias. "But... um... can you tell me more about Zegnautus? Dad always worries about it but he doesn't mention it much. He doesn't want me to worry about Gladdy."

And that was how Cor found himself deep in a discussion of military tactics, siege warfare, Crownsguard training techniques,... and tea blends. Iris was surprisingly well-studied on the topics, and he found that she obviously delighted in picking at his knowledge and comparing it to what she'd determined from field reports and other pieces of information that filtered back to Insomnia.

He found himself rehashing portions of everything from the Galahdian Wars to the much later pushes into Cartanica and beyond; they transitioned into the politics of peace, talks about how a treaty might eventually be formed, and then they descended into Iris discussing the dread of a social season descending on Insomnia with a vengeance.

Cor couldn't say he liked the social season any more than Iris seemed to, but at least he had the ability to tell Clarus - or whoever else tried to drag him to parties - to fuck off; Iris didn't have that luxury.

"I couldn't convince you to rescue me some party, could I?" she asked.

"Not on your life."

She gave him an annoyed little huff, and Cor smiled in response.

"Sorry, I need my own rescuing if I end up at one of those parties. It's bad enough Clarus makes me go to too many damn Crownsguard social events. The only one I don't mind is the Widows and Orphans one..." Unless Clarus made him auction himself off, which he usually did. 'It's for a good cause, Cor!' He _still_ ended up fetching a decent price even if it usually meant he was foisted upon some debutante by her mother. Regis was no help: 'just get married'. Jerks.

"Yeah..." Iris gave her own smile, more sad, obviously thinking of the cause itself and less the bachelor auction that usually went along with it. "Not for a few months, though."

Cor steered them away from the topic, and the two of them found themselves discussing a few of the latest Lords' Council proposals before Regis returned, giving Cor an odd look before he came to stand at the table.

"Busy I see," he answered.

"Oh," Iris looked up, startled, and then a moment later she pulled out her phone. "Damn, I have... a pile of paperwork to get done before the end of the day. I... um..." She seemed lost for a moment, and then she glanced to Cor and gave him a rueful smile. "I... it was a pleasure talking, Marshal."

"Cor," he answered, because there was no reason to stand on that level of formality if they were going to talk for what seemed to have been hours. "Same to you, Lady Iris." He stood, giving her the bow he probably should have when she'd arrived. He knew she couldn't offer the same informality, and he didn't expect it, but she smiled and gave a little nod before she headed off.

"I didn't think you'd actually _talk_ to her," Regis said, not sitting down, just placing a hand on the table.

Cor frowned. "She had some questions about the offensive, that's all."

"I see," Regis said. "Well, perhaps you should indulge her curiosity some other time as well."

Cor highly doubted they'd run into each other again, or if they did that Iris would have much to share with him beyond the vapid pleasantries of status and state. That was the way of things, after all.

*

After speaking with Iris, Cor found himself noting her much more frequently than he expected. Where before she was an invisible shadow he occasionally caught out of the corner of his eye while talking to Clarus, she was now someone who drew his focus. It was often little more than a nod of acknowledgement or a 'how are you today, Lady Iris', but every so often he'd catch her out on an errand proper and they might spend a few quiet minutes discussing whatever the state of affairs was for the day.

"I'm not sure whether to be happy or sad today," she confessed to him the day of the surrender.

News had only just come from the capital that the Emperor had killed himself rather than face defeat at the hands of the Lucians. The quieter rumors that Cor was uncertain she had heard were quite firm that the 'suicide' had been helped along by the Emperor's granddaughter and Lord Ravus. He'd heard that she had offered Niflheim's surrender to Prince Noctis himself, blood still covering her hands.

"A bit of both," he answered. "There's nothing wrong with mourning the loss of lives on both sides."

She nodded in response. "I guess it's... strange. I thought most of the enemies were robots, so..."

"They never quite managed to perfect them," Cor answered. "They were clunky at best throughout the war, but it made certain decisions more palatable for men of conscience."

"Even knowing that it was us or them..." Iris shook her head, obviously trying to clear it, but she looked up at him and gave him a sad smile.

"Better to go to sleep at night with doubts than without them," Cor answered, that had been his thought for many years. "You cannot change the past, or dwell on it, but a man who goes to bed without any thought to the choices he made... he either made no important choices, or..."

"He did and none of them give him pause," Iris finished. "That makes sense."

"So a little doubt seems... healthy."

"Then I'll treasure that," Iris answered, still with her sad little smile.

She was far more filled with smiles at the Six-damned party that followed that evening. It felt in poor taste, but he also knew after a near forty year stretch of campaign it was only right that the various allied forced who'd come together to oppose Niflheim gathered to celebrate their victory.

Cor had dusted off a slightly nicer variant of his uniform, and against his immediate instincts he headed over to where Iris was speaking to several members of the Lords' Council.

"Marshal," she greeted him with a nod, and Cor noted her holding a glass of champagne and then his eyes landed on the dress she was wearing, deep red and black, lacy enough to show skin _all_ the way down her sides, a daring display at war with a more modest neckline.

He found himself slightly distracted for a few moments while Iris discussed treaty provisions with a few members of the Lords' Council who also seemed to be well aware of the attractiveness of their debate partner.

"Could I trouble you for a few moments on the reconstructive planning, Marshal?" she asked, and Cor finally came out of his own head long enough to note that she seemed to be fishing for a polite exit.

Cor held out an elbow. "Of course, Lady Iris."

The two of them broke away from the pack and he could almost feel the tension fall away from Iris's spine. "Sorry. I'm pretty alright at speaking for a while and then I just... need a breather."

"No shame in that," he answered. "Hells, I can't even manage the first part."

She chuckled, polite and fake, and then a moment later she seemed to shake off the artifice. "I'm nowhere near dad's level. He can just talk about anything and make you _agree_ , just calm and..." Iris sighed. "Thanks for listening, you don't really need to... um... escort me I can find a little hideaway."

Cor ignored the suggestion, instead guiding them over to the bar. "Orange Jetty's?"

She giggled, natural this time, happy. "Yeah."

"Two." 

He left a tip and took both bottles between his fingers and led them out to one of the many exits to the rooftop gardens, giving one of the tops a firm twist and handing it over to Iris before opening his own.

"Don't sell yourself short, they were riveted."

"More the dress than what I was saying," she answered with a grouse, taking a long sip of the soda and leaving Cor to note the pale lines of her throat.

"We wage war with the tools available," Cor answered.

Another laugh, which he probably earned calling her dress, and probably by implication that body that wore it, a tool of war. It certainly had the battlefield of Cor's mind combating a baser appreciation of her form.

"The dress is... ah... lovely by the way."

A faint smile followed, Iris looking down and away for a moment. "Thanks. Work with what you've got, right?"

Cor couldn't imagine where the self-deprecation had come from, she was gorgeous and although no one would call her voluptuous she was trim, well-muscled, and feminine. "Effortlessly."

She flushed, but she returned to look at him after that, obviously a little embarrassed. "Well... ah... how's your night going?"

"Well enough," he admitted, relaxing against one of the trees and taking a long sip of his own drink. "Reconstruction will be a bitch for years, but Lady Stella seems to have... a desire for peace. That can't be overstated."

Iris nodded, recovering much of her composure. "I heard that it's likely she and Noct will get married?"

Cor was reminded, quite swiftly, of the fact that Iris was... well-known for her crush on Noct, something the Prince had always seemed oblivious to. "Well, it's... likely a good political move."

To his surprise, Iris nodded, and didn't seem upset just firm in her acceptance of the idea. "I think as long as they're happy enough, right?"

"I would say so," he answered. "I think they will be."

"Gladdy said that Noct was getting along pretty well with her, helping her with... um... the death of her grandfather." 

If Cor had any doubts Iris knew the grimmer details of the Emperor's death they were put to rest by the way she said that. He sighed. "She's young, hopefully she'll find a way to move on."

Iris gave her own little nod. "I hope so. It's not her fault her grandfather was a whack job." Iris seemed caught up in her own mind after that, a hand curled gently against her chest.

An instinctive part of him wanted to provide some comfort, some sort of 'it'll be alright', but he found himself without any idea what to say. Instead he came to stand beside her, and he noted that she pulled just a bit closer, her other hand clinging to her soda bottle, pensive.

"It takes time," he said, surprised how soft his voice was.

"Y-yeah. Sorry, you probably have more important things to be doing."

"Happy to be here if you need," he answered.

They didn't say anything else, she just stood there beside him, and he beside her. She took a few more sips of her drink, and he felt it when she listed towards him a bit, and he held his hand out, floating over her shoulder, uncertain if he should touch her and instead finding he just waited there, hand not moving, just waiting. She didn't move again, and he brought his hand down.

"There's so much work to do," she whispered.

"And you'll do it all."

"Thank you," she whispered. "I...I should get back." She turned away from him and Cor watched her return to the party, her back straight, her chin up. She took a final drink of her soda and placed it on a passing waiter's tray before she pounced into the midst of another collection of lords. He found his eyes following her movements for far longer than they should have...

"Good evening, Marshal."

Cor's focus snapped to Regis, looking at his king and giving him a nod. "Regis."

"Did Lady Iris have another concern you were able to help her address?" the man asked. Cor was fairly certain Regis was yanking his chain, but he had no idea about what.

"Just discussing the end of the war," he answered. "It's easy to think about the cost in lives and property after it's all over and the tallies are coming in. She was upset."

"It was good of you to comfort her, then," Regis answered, again with a damn grin in his voice, and Cor looked over to him with a frown. Regis, of course, decided to answer with a little shrug and walked away after that.

Cor spent most of the rest of the evening crowd watching and being impressed with the deft way that Iris seemed to gently float between various groups and spend just enough time that Cor had no doubt she'd left a careful thought in every ear.

Toward the end of the party had finally run much of its course and Cor had been able to deftly avoid any need to dance or have conversations with pretty much anyone. He considered it a skill, to be honest, slinking away relatively unnoticed, but every once in a great while he managed to find himself trapped. In this particular case, it was by Lady Elidine's daughter: Naeris. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with her, she just was barely eighteen and about as interesting to talk to as a box of rocks.

He was probably close to four minutes into regretting his life when a gentle "Excuse me, Marshal?" came from his side. Iris stood there, a little smile on her face.

"Lady Iris?" he asked. He didn't know why she'd come over, but he wasn't going to argue with her presence. Unlike Naeris, she could actually think of topics that weren't completely uninteresting to him. Cor wasn't certain what part of his demeanor said he might be interested in the latest gossip about pop music bands...

"His Majesty mentioned that you had a question for me?"

Cor frowned slightly. He hadn't talked to Regis about Iris much at all, and he certainly didn't have any questions... Iris tilted her head slightly, and made a face that seemed to say 'come on', which was finally what clued Cor in: "Ah, yes. It was actually something of a pet project, spending allocations for a training area."

He then offered his arm and Iris slid her arm in his and the two of them headed off.

"Thanks."

"I owed you a rescue," she answered with a little grin. "Although the King did mention that you likely were uncomfortable. Lady Naeris can be a little... vapid."

"At least I'm not saying it," he answered. "That would be rude." He chuckled a little, and then the two of them headed to a slightly less cluttered area of the hall and stood close enough for a quiet conversation.

"Do you actually have some sort of pet project?" she asked.

"Not as such, but we will need to consider new methods of training as the Crownsguard moves from a primarily war force to a peacekeeping one. It will be an odd day for many who have dedicated their lives to war."

"Yourself included?"

He frowned for a slight moment, but did eventually nod. "It's true enough," he answered softly. "I've spent my whole life fighting, it's easy to wonder if it's time to... retire, that sort of thing."

She looked up at him, a little frown on her face. "I can't imagine why you'd want to retire."

"Getting old," he answered with a chuckle.

"Please." She completely dismissed the idea. "You're hardly old."

Cor politely didn't remind her of the fact that he was old enough to be her father, and instead gave her a little smile. "Regardless, it's the sort of thing a man starts to think about, old or not."

Iris cocked her head as if to say she wasn't certain why, or that she didn't agree, but she said nothing else on the topic. "Well let's hear about these pet projects," she said after a few moments and smile.

"Nothing particularly extraordinary," he answered with a little smile. "The Crownsguard will need to learn to make a change toward the basics of peacekeeping and other more minor duties. The task of hunting the occasional megafauna is... different than fighting humans."

Iris gave a little nod. "Easier or just different?"

"A bit of both, I suppose. There's something..." Cor paused and considered his words. There were some things that really didn't do to thing about or speak, but at the same time he'd come to appreciate the candor he could share with Iris. "There is a... weight to fighting another man, to killing."

"Oh," she said, her voice very soft just then. "Yeah. That must be hard, especially now that people are being asked to set that aside and see the former enemy as someone to be a friend, or at least no longer an enemy..."

"The eternal dilemma of peace."

Iris reached out and touched against his hand for a moment. It startled him, but he didn't flinch away and instead moved his hand toward her just a bit. That was perhaps the oddest part since he didn't usually like to be touched, but it seemed that Iris was a strange exception to his rule that he didn't realize he'd made until that very moment.

"I'm certain you'll find... something," she said softly. "You're incredible, really."

He shook his head. "Nothing of the sort," he said with a smile. "But thank you for thinking it regardless."

It was Iris's turn to shake her head, but she smiled anyway, letting her hand drop and pull away. "Still, I do think it's a good goal to prepare the Crownsguard for peace... I think the Kingsglaive might have even a harder time..."

The two of them fell quiet for a long moment. "I think they are still recovering from the blow of their commander's betrayal," Cor said after the two of them had been quiet for far too long. "Drautos's decision to sell out the country to the Empire... I can only assume it was done in a fit of desperation... but I'll never understand what would cause a man to betray his kingdom to the empire that ravaged his homeland.."

"I always wanted to... I don't know, ask him what on Eos he was thinking. How could anyone betray their own home like that?"

"I don't know," he answered, surprising himself with how soft his voice was. "It... I gave my all for Lucis, even during the times when it looked blackest. He will answer for his crimes."

Drautos had attempted to flee Lucis when his cover as a double agent had been blown, but the Accordon authorities had picked him up attempting to move through Altissia. With the end of the war on, he was largely rotting in prison waiting for the various authorities to have time to deal with the extradition.

"The mind of a traitor is likely riddled with rationalizations and contradictions," Cor continued. "I think it has to be to make that sort of thing make sense. How else can someone choose to betray their home to the enemy that brutalized their homeland?"

Iris shook her head as well. "I can't imagine it. Well, at least he'll be handled in time. It feels brutal, but... I want him to hang for it."

"A normal thought," he assured her. "Or at least not an unhealthy one."

Iris still seemed troubled by the though, so Cor reached out to her this time and placed his hand gently on her shoulder and squeezed. It didn't come easy to him, but the smile she gave him was worth it.

"Thanks," she answered, the smile fading just a bit, and she looked down, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"My pleasure."

They eventually parted ways, staying wrapped up in a single person during a party was social death to someone like Iris, and Cor found himself most comfortable against the walls with no one but himself for company. Of course Regis chose to ignore the 'go away' vibe and came to say hello later into the evening.

"I hope you showed Lady Iris the appropriate amount of appreciation for her timely rescue," he said.

Cor gave him a little glare. "I appreciated it."

"No, then." Regis shook his head slightly. "You're hopeless sometimes. Regardless, Clarus will be heading to Pagla in the next few days in order to begin the peace talk process."

"And I'll be going with him?" Cor finished for him.

The king shook his head. "Clarus asked me to keep you in reserve for another task."

"Another task more important than safeguarding the life of the Shield of the King?"

"As far as Clarus is concerned? Yes." Regis smiled a bit. "There is the small matter of the former Commander Drautos. We'll be sending a much smaller delegation to Altissia to see to the transfer preparations."

Cor gave a slight sigh. It wasn't exactly the sort of thing he thought his talents were best used on, but orders were orders. "Why's this more important than the peace delegation?"

"Because it will be his daughter taking care of the preparations," Regis answered.

"Iris?" he asked. "That's... an interesting choice."

"Lack confidence in the budding young diplomat?" Regis asked with a stupid little smile. It was just like him to act like he'd caught Cor out... and to some extent he had.

"Of course not," he answered, an annoyed set to his jaw. He had every confidence that Iris would do fine at any negotiations, no matter how much they were a simple formality. "But I understand why Clarus would want me there and not with him."

"Lady Iris will be joining him in Pagla after the matter with Drautos is settled and you'll be accompanying her. Is that more agreeable?"

Cor gave a nod, it was. That would put him where he actually belonged: at Clarus's side if he was going to be in enemy territory, but would also ensure that Lady Iris was safe even if the mission itself was fairly innocuous. "I'll see to it. Is she aware of the mission?"

It was Regis's turn to nod in response. "She is. Excited for her first real diplomatic mission. It's quite refreshing by comparison. Do make sure she doesn't feel like your chore."

"She's not a chore," Cor answered with a bit more snap and fire than he'd really intended. 

He wasn't certain where it had come from, worried that Regis thought that of Iris or even just that he would think that Cor didn't appreciate Iris's presence.

That made Regis grin, wide and bright and amused. "Well, I'm glad you don't have your head entirely up your ass."

Cor decided the best thing he could do in response was to fix Regis with an annoyed look and head off to raid the open bar before it closed in order to fully appreciate the scotch available. He didn't mind the task of spending several days, maybe even weeks with Iris in Altissia, but he couldn't deny a niggling worry that teased in the back of his mind that he resolved to answer with alcohol.

*

Cor watched as Iris leaned against the edge of the charter boat as they headed out of the Lucinia Sound. She was dressed in a bright and sunny dress that made her look girlish and sweet. It was a good look on her, and Cor smiled a bit as he relaxed in his seat and watched her.

"It's so cool!" she shouted back to him over the roar of the engine and the waves and wind. "I love it!"

He chuckled and gave her a nod of agreement, which she took as an invitation to sit beside him and smile even more brightly.

"You've been out of the Sound?" she asked.

"When I was younger we headed out of Cape Caem. It's a shorter trip over sea but much longer over land. I think the idea was Niffs watching the ports, but no worry about that now."

"Yeah." She nodded and seemed to breathe in the salt air before she gave him a huge grin. "Well, I like it."

"I can tell," he answered, trying to keep some of the wry sarcasm that always seemed to color his tone out of his voice. "Well, we should be about four days to get around the bulk of Insomnia, out to sea, and across to Altissia. Most of the first day will just be Insomnia."

Iris demanded he spend the day watching Insomnia float past them, and when sundown came, Cor couldn't even mind. The city lit up and was absolutely breathtaking. The last time he'd been out at sea he hadn't been leaving from Insomnia, and there was something magical about the entire skyline lit up and even the spire of the Citadel looked new.

He found himself standing right beside her, Iris leaning close to him for warmth, and Cor let her stand there, shoulder brushing against his arm, watching with naked wonder at the beauty of the city at night from the sea. "I had no idea how beautiful the city could be."

"Awe inspiring," he agreed.

She looked at him and smiled. "Yeah. I... this is wonderful."

"A nice way to begin a long journey."

Iris stayed there until she began to flag, leaning more and more heavily against Cor, just a fraction at a time, before he chuckled and suggested she might want to get some sleep.

"Right," she said, straightening suddenly and flushing, maybe embarrassed for dropping of, but he just gave a little nod. "I'll see you tomorrow, Cor."

"Good night, Lady Iris."

The next day, Iris was far less enthusiastic. They'd rounded out into the ocean proper and she was having trouble finding her 'sea legs' as Cid had called it. By late in the afternoon she finally managed queasy smiles and some gentle food, but the two of them sat in her cabin and played cards rather than be subjected to the salt air in addition to the rocking of the boat.

She'd almost fully recovered by the time Accordo first came up on the horizon, and Iris was just as giddy to see a new country as she had been to see Insomnia. Cor pointed out some of the coastline where there were dozens of goats grazing here and there in the slightly rocky lands before _the_ city began to come into view.

"Holy shit."

Cor chuckled. He understood the reaction entirely, the huge valley of sorts that cupped the Accordo capital of Altissia was filled with water, but thousands of tiers of waterfalls and stepped buildings created an impression of constantly moving water and a city of impressive majesty.

"It..." Iris gaped. "The... how does it even do that?"

He smiled again. "To my understanding, the belief is that Leviathan slumbers nestled all along the coast, her body shedding water endlessly... I never had a chance to check. Going swimming to attempt to rouse a god didn't really appeal even when I was much younger and more brash."

Iris chuckled. "I mean... Titan holds up the Disc, and Ifrit burns bright as a volcano, right? It could be..."

"It could. Probably is, but the city itself was originally land here and there, and over the years various locks and tiered water movement led to... that."

"It's beautiful."

"Indeed it is."

The boat itself headed down the main canal to the port and the two of them disembarked and had a quick chat with customs before Cor struggled between attempting to corral Iris toward the hotel and wanting to allow her to fully appreciate the majesty of the most beautiful city in the world. It took three hours before she finally let him hail a gondola and they headed toward the hotel itself, making themselves comfortable in the massive suite that had been set aside for their tiny delegation of two.

Two messages waited for them: one a letter from the Lucian Ambassador to Accordo, Ambassador Kellam, reiterating the troubles with a recent illness to explain his absence from the talks; the second was a politely worded message informing Iris that a budget vote was delayed in the parliament and the meeting to actually begin their informal negotiations would take almost two days to arrive. Cor had expected Iris to be at least a tiny bit put out, but instead she seemed upset for Kellam's illness, but thrilled by the news of the delayed talks and Cor found himself unceremoniously dragged out in the dusky evening, sat back in a gondola, and asked for a restaurant recommendation.

Cor pulled out several gil: "A good one, not the one you get paid to recommend."

The gil disappeared and they were brought to a tiny little out of the way restaurant that had barely a dozen tables and they were escorted to a canal side table for two. A few minutes were spent looking over the menu before Iris looked up at him.

"I want to eat two of everything."

"How about this: you order for both of us and we can share," he offered.

"I don't want to order something you don't like."

"I'll eat anything." A moment later he realized that wasn't any particular assurance or comfort. "But... I like red meat, raw fish, most greens, and a pile of pasta."

Iris returned to perusing the menu, and Cor did the same even though he'd placed his culinary fate in Iris's hands. Everything sounded good, so Cor didn't think he'd find himself without a good meal. He made a point to not listen when Iris ordered, and was pleasantly surprised by a grouper carpaccio while Iris had decided on a colorfully arranged platter filled with a variety of pickled and cured meats and vegetables.

"So... why raw fish?" she asked, tilting her plate towards him and Cor carefully picked some olives and cured gighee and a few little toast... things before he offered up a pair of the thinly cut pieces of fish.

"Why not?" he answered with a little smile, but he shrugged. "I... when I was younger I..." He struggled for a long moment. He recognized now that going to the Trials was a mistake, but he could hardly deny that it had taught him to look into himself and become a better man and warrior... "I got my ass handed to me, and the guy told me to get better. I ended up traveling to the east at the urging of King Mors and I studied the katana..."

He took a bite of the fish and took a very long moment to enjoy the simplicity of unadulterated, fresh fish.

"Anyway, one of their culinary... foibles that never particularly caught on in Insomnia was raw fish, sometimes wrapped in rice or on top. I never really learned much of how to make it, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it. When I was first in Altissia I didn't really appreciate it, but now I do."

"It's not particularly popular in Insomnia, I guess," Iris answered, taking her own delicate bite of her meal and thinking. "You eat plenty of stuff at the billion parties I go to... caviar, sure, but not just raw fish. You're right it's just sort of... simple, but in a good way."

They ate their way through far too much food, and Cor had to appreciate that Iris had worked with his very minimal suggestions and managed to produce an excellent meal for the two of them before finally ending with a little berry pastry for him and a tiny chocolate cake for her.

It was... frankly a wonderful dinner, and he didn't even mind when Iris pouted and they ended up taking a longer ride on the gondola back to the hotel before he fell into a very contented and incredibly overfed sleep.

Iris was up before him the next morning, a tray with coffee, milk, and sugar laid out on the table while she had the morning paper spread out over the table, a pen at her lips.

"How... low tech," he said as he took the carafe and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Well, it's not particularly useful to look at the news on my phone if it's not going to give me an idea of what's going on in parliament," she answered with a little smile. Her own coffee looked to have a touch of milk in it and she sipped delicately before glancing up at him. "Which is how I know that the First Secretary isn't pulling my leg when she says they are stuck on a particularly delicate bit of budget legislation that came out of nowhere a few days ago. Boring, but ultimately more important than handing over a traitor. Just means I'll spend the day shopping or something. Nothing wrong with enjoying the sights and scenery."

"Sounds like you have it all planned out," he answered, a little amused. "So when do you plan on us leaving?"

"You don't have to come," Iris said, laughing just a little. "I can't imagine anything more boring for you."

It was a bit true, but Cor shrugged anyway. "Well, I'm here as your guard, after a fashion. It's my duty to see you safely to your goal."

"To spend money on clothes." She again gave him a look that seemed to say she thought he was being an idiot, but she didn't argue beyond that, and went back to her coffee and paper for a bit longer. "Well, to answer the question: half hour?"

He nodded his approval and then relaxed into one of the very comfortable chairs of the sitting room. After a few moments, he lazily kicked up his feet and watched as Iris continued her morning coffee and paper. It was pleasantly comfortable, and Cor allowed himself to appreciate a moment of calm and peace in a hectic world. He'd need to get used to it, really, peace... waking up late and... well he'd still probably hit up training and work out and make sure Regis and Clarus and Weskham didn't get up to too much trouble. Honestly, you'd never think they were all at least five years his senior the way they acted sometimes.

Iris finally finished whatever she was getting out of the paper and gave him a little smile before she stood up. "I'm going to get ready."

He nodded, glancing down to make sure he was presentable. After a moment he realized he would be very obvious if he went around in Crownsguard blacks, and after a few moments to consider he decided that stealth, of a sort, would better serve them. He traded his slacks in for khakis and out one of his shorter sleeved dress shirts that wouldn't be at war with the sunny and humid Altissian climate.

Iris returned a little after him, likely washed up from her breakfast of coffee. She glanced over at him and opened her mouth for a moment, looking confused.

"What?"

"I..." She continued to look confused for a moment before she cleared her throat. "I wasn't sure you had anything casual."

He shrugged. "Believe it or not, I do, sometimes, go off duty."

"So you're off duty, but you're on duty because you're escorting me even though all I'm doing is going shopping," she said, now smiling at him, probably amused by the ridiculousness of the contradiction. 

Cor gave her a little glare, which only caused her to beam more, but she snagged her purse and the two of them left the suite.

Iris, much to Cor's amusement, conducted her shopping hunt like a campaign of scorched earth warfare against a hostile nation: systemic and methodical yet with minimal time taken to secure each objective. Every dress, skirt, shirt, or shorts was looked at, judged, and either dismissed immediately or pulled out to be placed in front of her to glance at in the mirror before it was again either accepted or rejected to move on to the final search for her size. Approximately ten garments, or the complete destruction of the store, marked a trip to an available dressing room; three stands with no favorable clothing choices led to a slightly more cursory search and then a dismissal of the store out of hand.

Despite the truly impressive volume of clothes that she tore through in her quest for clothing, the final tally at any given store was remarkably small, leaving him with only a bit more than a half-dozen bags before the mid afternoon came and they found themselves seated at one of the many outdoor cafes.

"You are... terrifying," he said, finally.

"Hmm?"

"If you'd told me we were going to ransack the entirety of the fashion district today, I would have thought we'd be here all week, instead we're almost through the entire row and it's barely one."

"Oh." She grinned. "Well, full dresses for parties I get at home, so something would have to be limited or amazing for me to bother with that, and most of the stores don't have any limited merch. That means I'm mostly looking at skirts or casual stuff and after you round up the essentials it's just down to little quirks. If it doesn't have any pop, no reason to really look at it; jewelry is largely... well, family stuff, so no reason to look at that. I might go looking for a little sun hat, they seem pretty popular."

After a few moments to glance at the menu she looked back up with a gleam of wickedness in her eyes. "I could take more time if that would make you more comfortable."

"I'll pass," he answered.

He ordered a salad and Iris got a small pizza. "I guess part of it is I know I won't be here for long so I want to dive in and experience it as much as possible."

"Understandable. I remember when I was here the first time I was so..." He didn't even know the right words for it. "I had my head up my ass, didn't appreciate it."

"Did you ever come back?"

He spread his hands to indicate he was here now, and she answered with an unimpressed look.

"I mean before now," she clarified.

"Nope, it's been... Six, over thirty years." That made him feel quite old even if he'd been quite young when he first came.

Iris was silent for several long moments, and he saw her frown slightly. "That... I mean you should be a tourist then, right? Have fun?"

A little part of him wanted to say that life didn't give second goes at things. Still, he didn't have the heart to stomp on her own first visit to the most beautiful city in the world.

"At your command."

She gave him another little look. "Would it kill you to admit you'd like to have fun?"

"Let's have fun," he answered.

After their lunch and a quick stop at the hotel to drop off shopping bags, Cor found himself dragged around the city. The early afternoon they wiled away playing at an arcade and then wandering the halls of the National Museum.

"Oh," Iris tilted her head and they made their way to one of the statues. "The Ascension..."

Cor came up beside her and took a moment to admire the piece, one of the most famous pieces in the world: solid white marble of a wasted away Ardyn, spread across the lap of the Oracle, eyes closed in peace...

"I read that the white marble was chosen to show the grace and purity after the Oracle purified him...," Iris said with a touch of awed wonder. "Before the piece was done, he's usually shown in black and white to show the Scourge."

Cor was no art historian, but he could believe it. The work was excellent, every thin line and muscle perfectly etched to show the pose, the Oracle's face somehow showing grief and tranquility at once. He'd never been particularly religious, despite the Lucian line's contact with the divine, but it was a truly remarkable piece of art.

They finished with the statuary and headed along another corridor and Iris tugged his wrist: "Historical arms and armor, that sounds more your speed."

"You're not wrong."

Iris enjoyed wandering the Hall of Arms, the three dozen or so Royal Arms on display. "I always wondered why they're here, yaknow?"

"Fifty year loan," he answered. "A less exciting part of the Lucian-Accordon Treaty. If Regis passes before the loan is concluded, Noctis will simply take a field trip... although a morbid one."

"Right..."

They continued to wander, and Cor took his time appreciating the smith work before he found himself rounding a corner and finding himself face to face with... well, he imagined it was listed as an exhibit on Lucian Founder Era Royal Guard armor, but the decoratively etched mail found him with his breath in his throat and a terrified chill in his spine. The aching hole in his chest from where the Blademaster had ripped his sword from his arsenal felt torn open again and he struggled to breathe.

He didn't know how long he stood there, but a touch to his shoulder finally snapped his gaze away from the armor and he looked down to see Iris's concern. She glanced to where he'd been looking and after she took her fill of it she nudged him away and out into one of the empty hallways.

"Okay?" she asked.

"Will be." It was... embarrassing, finding himself rooted in fear over a childhood arrogance.

She sat with him, fingers lightly tracing circles against his back while he struggled to return to some amount of composure. Long minutes passed, and Cor found himself lost in the moment, eyes closed as he inhaled and exhaled slowly, putting away the long remembered and forgotten trauma of the trials.

"Do we... um... need to go?" Iris asked, voice soft.

"No, just need a minute." He glanced over to her and saw the concern on her face, but she didn't ask again until he had a few more minutes to compose himself. "Alright. Where to now?"

Iris opened her mouth, and then shut it. Cor watched as she seemed to think better of whatever she'd been about to say. "It's not particularly exciting but there's a whole Solheim exhibition next door."

He spent the next hour transported to ancient Solheim, appreciating the fascinating art and technology that had come from the long dead civilization.

"You'd think people would realize: hey maybe pissing off one of the Six isn't a great idea," Iris said as they headed out. The sun was beginning to head into the western sky, and after a bit of poking she found them an ice cream shop - or gelato, as the case was - and ordered them a massive sampler platter. They didn't make one, she just asked and smiled and it seemed people naturally just said yes to that.

So the two of them sat, a pair of spoons between them, trying almost two dozen bites of different flavors. "Is this sufficiently fun?" she asked after they'd had a few bites. "I had fun."

"It was wonderful," he agreed.

"Sorry about--"

"Not your fault," he answered, cutting off the unneeded apology. The truth was he hadn't even known how much the armor of the old Blademaster, or one just like it, would affect him. "It's the... price of youthful arrogance, I suppose."

He watched Iris's face go through a variety of emotions in a matter of an instant, obviously thinking of asking him before she finally just smiled and took another bite of ice cream.

"Remember when I said I had my ass handed to me when I was younger?"

She nodded.

"It..." He stumbled over the words. He knew he didn't owe her an explanation, but at the same time she was obviously going to remain worried about it. "I was young and foolish. Out on an offensive I heard Hunter tales of a place of trial, where a victorious blade would earn power and strength... I went. I lost. I still sometimes remember the burning eyes behind ancient armor and his fingers around my throat when he called me a failure."

Cor closed his eyes and shook his head. "Gilgamesh, the Shield of the Founder King."

"But you... lived," Iris said, a question on her lips that she didn't ask and Cor wasn't certain what she wanted to know.

"Thirty five years the Trials have been open, and only one man walked out alive... to this day I don't know why." He shook his head. "It's the past, but... I guess it snuck up on me. In the end, it meant I trained and did grow stronger in my failure. Not a perspective that I could have appreciated at fifteen, however."

"Fifteen?!"

"Young and brash," he answered, reaching his spoon out and poking at the lime flavored ice cream and taking a bite. "Like I said, I guess it just... snuck up on me. You don't usually expect to face..." He shook his head.

"So he was... in the Founder King's Royal Guard. I..."

"What?" he prodded, she obviously wanted to say something.

"That would be my ancestor, right?"

"Probably. I did a little research after. He was said to have been gifted by the Six with preternatural strength and mental fortitude: muscle and mettle, a quality that runs in the line of the Shield. He disappeared when he was about fifty, and rumors of his testing the blade of men for generations to come floated around afterward. Thirty years ago, it was in the Tempering Grounds, where men either shatter or become stronger."

He glanced back up to see Iris prodding a bit of strawberry. "Can I ask a sort of weird question?"

He shrugged. He'd already laid himself bare, what was a little more prodding.

"Are you... um... sure you lost?"

Choked within an inch of his life and flung to the ground, told his form was an embarrassment despite his mettle, cast out with a gaping hole in his soul where his blade used to be with only a rusty sword... He didn't think there was much room for debate, but he decided to humor her for a moment. "Why do you ask?"

She shrugged, and a moment later she bit her lip. "You lived, right? And you did grow stronger from it. You didn't shatter."

He chuckled a bit, mixed in with a soft snort. Still... when he'd been thrown out, the sword had taken on a different shape, a katana instead of the nodachi he used to wield... "I don't even remember anymore," he admitted. "I remember... his eyes, I remember his fingers at my throat, and I remember... your father promising to skin me for being such an idiot. I was better served by the loss. I would have been insufferable if I'd been victorious. I'll take my loss, Lady Iris."

"Alright," she said. "Well, you better not lose out on the praline... it's amazing."

"I best not," he agreed, reaching his spoon out and taking a brief moment to clash spoons with her for a moment in mock battle before he stole away the last of it and had to agree it was a good flavor. "Thank you." 

He wasn't certain exactly what he was thanking her for, but he knew he needed to. Her answer was just to smile and look down, bashful, with a tiny blush at her cheeks before she looked back up. "My pleasure."

They fell silent for a bit, taking bites of ice cream and occasionally making a gesture or something, but instead it was companionable and Cor was happy to let the subject of Gilgamesh drop.

"Cor, I... um..." She seemed at a loss for a moment, wanting to say something and unable to bring herself to, so she shook her head and went back to prodding ice cream.

"What?"

"Nothing..." She looked up again, took a deep breath, and then frowned. "I... you could call me Iris, if you'd like."

She'd taken far too long for such a modest request, so Cor had to wonder if she might have been meaning to say something else, but he nodded regardless. "Iris."

Cor was honestly surprised about how much he'd grown to enjoy Iris's company in such a short amount of time. It couldn't have been more than two months since Regis had forced the two of them to chat over tea, and now he found himself a bit annoyed when they didn't have time to meet up, if only for a few minutes.

Friendship didn't come easily to him; two of his closest friends, his only close friends really, had been there beside him since he'd been thirteen. Oddly he felt as though he could add Iris to that list, and he didn't mind at all. She was young, and carefree, and seemed determined to pull Cor along and see him smile. And she never seemed to fail to make him smile.

Ice cream tasting finally finished, the two of them grabbed a light dinner and Iris made herself comfortable on one of the couches, playing on her phone. Cor read.

Late in the evening they finally received word that the parliamentary issue had been resolved and they would be able to meet with the First Secretary tomorrow and then have the extradition hearing. Regis's best estimate was that it wouldn't take long, a few days at the longest, to organize the exchange and as much as Cor had enjoyed the last days he'd be glad to have Drautos in Lucian custody on his way to his execution.

"Thank you," Iris dismissed the messenger with a friendly nod. "I'll be there at nine."

The two of them fell silent after that, Iris looking at him with a face that spoke of confusion and a little self-conflict. "Alright?" he probed.

"I guess. I was having fun and now..." She looked down at her hands and shook her head. "Just thinking about Drautos makes my skin crawl."

Despite his better judgement, Cor stood and walked over to sit beside her, offering comfort with his presence, and Iris seemed to ease just a bit when he did so. "It won't take long," he assured her. "I'm sure we can manage a nice farewell to the city before we have to take him back."

She gave him a weak little smile, but it was a smile. "Thanks, Cor."

"My pleasure."

*

Cor woke early the next morning and escorted Iris to the Ministry and Cor stood silently at the door waiting through the hour or so of discussions. It was actually pleasant, Iris and Camilla forged what seemed to be a fast understanding of each other. There was little by way of posturing or even the need to argue or promise concessions. There wasn't even trouble with the fact that Drautos would doubtless be executed, as Altissia had a very rare, but still present, history of executions for treason.

"I must admit, not the Amicitia I expected," Camilla said when they had finished the larger portion of the negotiations.

"Hopefully not too much of a disappointment," she answered with a little smile.

"Surprisingly competent," the First Secretary answered. "It's a pleasure to know that Clarus hasn't neglected your political training."

"You can't exactly spend time in Lucis and not pick up a little bit here and there." After that she stood a bit straighter and met Camilla's gaze. "Was there anything else? The hearing scheduled for the afternoon works."

"No. I won't be able to attend, and I don't exactly want to give him the pleasure of my attention."

"Right." Iris held out a hand and the two of them shook. "A pleasure, First Minster."

"You as well, Lady Iris."

Camilla came up to Cor after that and gave the man a nod. "I see you've had an interesting run of it, thus far, Marshal."

"I have," he answered, suppressing a bit of a chuckle.

"Enjoy your time in Altissia, and... losing the mustache was a good idea."

He gave an amused brush of his thumb across his lip before gave a nod. "Thank you, and it seems everyone on Eos agrees about the mustache. Call it a youthful indiscretion."

"A mustache?" Iris asked when they were outside in the hall.

"Ill-advised," he answered. "Well, we have an hour or so until the hearing. I'll be glad to put the whole thing behind us."

"Yeah."

Iris seemed a bit distracted at lunch, picking at her food, and Cor found himself at a loss as to how to cheer her up, but he knew he wanted to. "Camilla seemed to enjoy working with you."

She looked up, a tiny little smile on her lips before she went back down to looking at her food. "Yeah, I guess I'm just a little... I'm not sure I'm ready to look at Drautos and not be sick. He... let Imperial assassins into the capital, he almost got Noct killed, he _murdered_ Queen Sylva..."

Cor sighed, and he nodded at everything Iris said. She was right, Drautos was reprehensible. "I think the best thing to do is not think about why. The man is sick in the head, he blames the King for losing ground in the early war even though we pushed to reclaim Drosia in a matter of years. It was the same for Galahd, we did everything we could while the Alliance was forming..." Cor considered his words further. "Don't let the enemy see your fear or doubt."

"Right," she answered looking back up. "Thanks. You're... really great, Cor."

He chuckled, and shook his head. Iris clearly had it all wrong, but he was glad he could help steady her in the moment. "I'm afraid you're the magnificent one, Iris. Stay strong and you'll never have to see him again soon."

The two of them then spent the rest of the hour wandering the shops near the judiciary building. Iris was obviously distracted, but after a few minutes he took a sun hat off of one of the racks and placed it on her head.

She laughed, grabbing the brim and tugged it lightly down. It was worth the overpriced hat to see her smile.

Iris had to take it off a few minutes later when they headed in to the courtroom only to find it swarmed with reporters.

"Shit," Iris whispered. "I should have dressed up more. I look like I'm on vacation."

"You look composed and competent," he assured her. "Relax."

Iris and Cor joined the local lawyer that had been retained for the arguments up at the front, so Cor held the chair for her and then joined her.

"More press than I expected," Iris noted.

"Political move by the judge," their lawyer explained. "He's trying to project an international, tough on crime air, that sort of thing. He's trying to gain a nod for an ambassadorial position."

"Blah," Iris answered, but she seemed to accept the answer. "Explains that at least."

All of the necessary players settled in soon after, and Cor waited.

After the judge entered and various formalities were made, Drautos was escorted in to the chambers. His legs were loosely shackled, his hands held a bit tighter, but with more flexibility than Cor would have wanted. Still, at least precautions were being taken. A caged and cornered animal was the most dangerous.

Cor sat, annoyed, as Drautos's lawyer plead for leniency and compassion in the face of the cruel punishment that waited back in Lucis, while their own lawyer made points about Accordo's own death penalty for the crimes committed.

"The only difference is he will be tried for crimes against Lucis, not Accordo," the lawyer finished.

"That human filth Lucis calls King betrayed his entire country," Drautos said, voice carrying across the assembled room.

"The prisoner will not speak out of turn," the judge ordered.

"... Allowing entire provinces that didn't have the good fortune to lay within Insomnian walls to be ravaged and burned for _convenience_."

"So he joins up with the ravagers," Iris answered, voice soft.

Cor reached out and touched her wrist, trying to soothe her.

The outburst didn't stop, and after more one of the guards came up and Cor saw the moment unfold and unravel in an instant. An expert shove of the guard and Drautos had his hands on a modest knife from the guard's hip, and he flung the knife toward a startled Iris.

Cor reacted on instinct, grabbing her and tugging her to the floor as he stood, putting himself in the way of the blade, his back to her. The tingle of the King's magic filled the air and Drautos warped, hand at the blade, adding the needed thrust to push the blade between Cor's ribs and the entire gallery erupted in screams.

He felt his knees buckle under him, scrambling against the table to break his fall as he landed hard on his knees.

"Cor!" Iris had her hands on him in an instant, and she helped him lay down, her face over his and her look pained.

Cor felt his chest tingle as the blade in his chest dissolved and reformed in Drautos's hand. Fucking... oversight. In Lucis his arsenal would have already been stripped, here they hadn't even thought... He could barely follow what happened after that, only that Iris was above him and more sickening thuds came from around the room. More dead, likely.

"Cor, hold on," she said. Her hands were pressed to his chest, uselessly trying to keep the wound from spilling blood.

"I should thank you, Marshal." He glanced, looking over to where the former Captain was grinning, looming above Iris. "You've given me two for the price of one. I'll just... finish with your pet Amicitia, then."

Cor struggled to move, could barely do it, really all he was able to manage was to bring his hand near Iris's, resting on his own chest. Iris was above him, dark hair framing her pale face and tears forming in her eyes. He could barely focus, but the one thing he knew was he needed to protect Iris... but he could barely move, life rapidly beating out of his chest.

He closed his eyes and called on his own arsenal, his wakizashi came to his hand, and he watched Iris's eyes grow wide and she reached out, wrapping her hand around his before taking the short sword and holding it to her chest. He wasn't even certain what Iris could do, no arsenal, no powers of the Glaive or Crownsguard, but he had to at least give her that fighting chance even with his own last breaths.

"Get over here you little bitch."

Cor grimaced as Drautos reached out with his free hand and grabbed at her hair, Iris struggled against him, despite what must have been intense pain. She twisted and fought for several moments, Cor helpless to do anything but watch. The next thing he saw was Iris lunge forward and a splatter of crimson, the sword falling at his side and the weight of Drautos landing heavy on Iris.

She shoved Drautos to the side, and then her hands were back on his chest. "Hold on," she ordered him. "Please, hold on." She raised her head. "Someone get a medic!" she shouted.

"What did you...?"

"Femoral artery," she answered. "Was the only thing I thought I could hit. I'll tell you all about it when you're fine."

He chuckled, wincing at the pain of it. His head was getting foggier now. "A title... can't protect you from everything, Iris."

"Don't say that," she said, her voice bordering on hysterical now. "You'll be fine. It's fine, just hang on, please... keep holding on."

He tried, he really did, but he blacked out sometime after rough hands grabbed him and began to work. That would be it, then... he thought, as he drifted off. At least he could go with no regrets, knowing that he'd kept Iris safe...

*

Cor woke.

Honestly that was the most surprising aspect of the whole thing: that he woke at all. He was pretty sure he'd escaped death enough times that he was due at this point, but instead of finding himself in the hereafter, he woke to his entire body aching and an overarching wonder at the fact he was alive at all.

After that first order of business was tended, he opened his eyes to the sterile light of the white-and-gray ceiling of a hospital of some sort. He seemed to have a few tubes coming out of his nose and arms. Acceptable. Cor then looked around further and saw a mess of dark hair resting at his thigh, Iris's head resting there, her eyes closed his sleep, her lips slightly parted.

His hand was near her face, inches from it really, and he found himself reaching out, his fingers brushing along her forehead and nose.

She startled, gasping and sitting upright only to realize what had woke her. Her entire face lit up when she saw him, and she smiled. "Cor?"

"Yeah," he said, more a grunt than a real word, but she seemed to understand anyway.

"Let me get the doctor," she said, her hand came to his shoulder, and then rested gently on his chest. "Thanks for not dying."

The next half-dozen hours were spent being poked and prodded, washing up, scrubbing the dead taste from his mouth, and finally sitting in the available chair in his hospital room. Iris returned a bit after that, a handful of clothing and a nervous smile when she entered.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"That's my line." She put the clothes down and went to sit near him on the visitors couch, looking at him with an odd look, happy and sad all at once. "How are you?"

"I'll live." 

"The King over-nighted potions from Insomnia," Iris said. "After that you sort of... mended pretty quickly, it's been two days."

He nodded. "Wouldn't be the first time Regis shoved me full of potions after I did something stupid. No regrets though, at least not this time."

"You really shouldn't have," she said. "I would have felt so guilty if you died because of me."

He shook his head. It was his duty, and in this case his privilege, to make sure she was safe, and he didn't regret it for an instant. "It's almost impossible to dodge a warp strike," he said. He could have, but that would have left it to hit Iris and that wasn't an option. "And I didn't die," he continued.

"I was still worried..." She looked over at him and her eyes were a little wet. "But... um... at least we don't have to worry about getting Drautos back to Insomnia."

It was a grim and bitter thought, but he nodded. Cor hadn't thought of it much at the time - he was bleeding out, after all - but he was shocked at the ability and precision that a killing blow would have taken. "Well, he died knowing he underestimated you."

She looked down, her smile faltering even more. "Yeah, I... I've never... _had_ never..."

Cor levered himself up, and took the few steps he needed to make it across the short distance between them and he sat on the couch beside her. "You did the right thing."

Iris looped her arms around his closer arm, and she began to cry into his shoulder. The weight of that death obviously was still heavy on her. Cor remembered the first life he'd taken - a Niff mech pilot - and the way the blood had stained his sword. He'd been fourteen.

"It's not supposed to be easy," he assured her.

"It... I knew what to do, but... doing it?" Iris looked up at him. "I'm not sure if I could have if there weren't lives on the line."

He reached out, his fingers gently touched at her bangs for a moment, and then he let his hand fall again. "There's no shame in that. But... thank you for saving my life."

"You saved mine first," she answered. "I guess we're even."

"Yes we are." Despite the fact that he'd been passed out for two days, he was fairly certain he fell asleep like that, or at least the gentle way he was woken some times later by a nurse, his cheek resting against Iris's head made him think that he must have.

"I'm sorry," the nurse said. "But we need to draw some blood and you should be sleeping laying down."

He groaned, but he allowed himself to be led over to the bed and have his blood drawn. "I thought I lost enough blood, and now you're stealing it back."

"Ironic, but still necessary."

The one nice thing about almost dying was that it meant he was expected to stay in town for a few days after he was up on his feet again. No one wanted him taking a long sea voyage until they were certain he was back to something resembling full health. Iris abused this fact heavily, and he found himself at the opera, at more museums, eating from a half-dozen more restaurants, and having two more ice cream tastings at the same gelato shop.

Cor was fairly certain it was just because the Accordo doctors couldn't truly appreciate the magic of Lucis that made the potions that had helped save his life. He'd felt fine for days by the time he was finally allowed to leave. Iris fussed a little, but mostly left him to his own devices. He didn't even mind much that she forced him to make himself at home in her quarters for much of the trip.

When Cavaugh finally came into view, the two of them made themselves comfortable against the railing and Iris stood close enough to share his warmth. The city was likely a touch less wondrous after Altissia, but Iris still watched with a delighted awe that warmed his heart.

He leaned heavy against the railing as the massive island came full into view, and he heard a delicate, but yearning sigh pass Iris's lips. "Home soon," he offered.

"I missed it. I loved Altissia, I loved..." She glanced over to him and then quickly away. "It was nice, but it wasn't home."

"Understandable," he answered. "I'm an Insomnia boy at heart, born and raised. No matter how far you go, there's something comforting about seeing the spire of the Citadel or the skyline of downtown... No doubt Regis is going to want to prod me and make sure I'm fine."

"He cares about you."

Cor smiled. "He does." Someday the man would stop looking at Cor and seeing a young man, but that day was likely a long time coming. Cor might die first. "Still, it's good to be heading home." They'd barely been gone three weeks, but it felt a bit like a lifetime. He was oddly a little distressed for it to end, though... the weeks had brought an odd closeness with Iris that he wasn't entirely certain would survive the return to Insomnia.

He'd miss it, he knew that, but he also knew he was terrible at keeping friends or being there for others, so he didn't expect that closeness to linger. Still, he soaked up the last hours of it, Iris there at his shoulder, and everything right in the world for a brief moment.

Iris shivered, and without even thinking he shed his jacket and placed it over her shoulders. She melted into it. "I see his face when I close my eyes sometimes," she whispered.

Cor closed his own eyes, wishing that he didn't know exactly what she meant. His own eyes had many men behind the lids, and he knew they would fade in time, but never be gone. He placed his hand on her back, rubbing a gentle circle there for a few moments. "It takes time," he assured her. "Let it fade."

"Right..." She bowed her head and then nodded. "I feel like I shouldn't even care, he was a terrible man and he was going to be executed anyway, but... _I_ had to do it."

Morbid curiosity had had him seeking out footage of the attack after he'd started to recover. It had never aired - too ghastly - but Cor had been able to watch the short struggle between Iris and Drautos. It had been well less than a minute, and Iris had largely used her smaller form and Drautos underestimating her to her advantage. Her cut to the artery in the man's groin had been deliberate and with intent; any doubt he had that Iris had been going for the kill faded when he watched that. She'd even yanked the blade out after, causing the crimson spray that he still remembered as his own life had been fading.

She had brutally ended his life, and Cor couldn't find it in himself to be anything but viciously glad. The only thing he regretted was that Iris had had to bloody her hands to serve justice. "You're allowed to care. Worry when you stop caring."

"Okay."

They stayed together at the edge of the railing for several hours, and Cor could almost feel her drawing comfort from him, her eyes a little wet, and his own mind screaming for him to offer better than just a presence beside her, but he didn't know what else to do but stand there in silence while Iris struggled to maintain composure.

Cor went to see Regis almost as soon as he arrived back in town, stopping only to drop his bags at his Citadel apartment. He did have a real apartment in one of the buildings that catered to civil servants, but he didn't have the energy to check in and get home when all he wanted to do was sleep.

Regis was in one of the many gardens, it didn't take Cor long to find him, but the man all but ran up to Cor when he came through the door and squeezed Cor hard enough to steal his breath. "You stupid, reckless, ass."

"So... my usual?" he asked.

"You have no idea how worried we were when Dustin brought me the news," Regis continued, finally letting him go after that. "And then Iris called a few hours later, in tears. We had potions out by courier in under an hour."

The two of them ended up on one of the benches and Cor recounted his own recollection of the events. Regis didn't seem any more thrilled about it on his personal report, but he did seem to feel a bit better after Cor assured him he was fine.

"I hope you've been there for Iris," Regis said after Cor finished.

"She's... struggling. She's never had to take a life and it's been weighing heavily on her." Cor knew that struggle only too well, and he hoped she would be able to push past it in time.

Regis smiled at that, and gave a little nod, before dismissing Cor and sending him to get some rest. Alone in his own room he felt oddly... alone. He'd gotten use to Iris's presence and sharing a suite with her for the last weeks, so much so that her absence was fairly pronounced. Still, he shed his jacket and shirt, making quick note of the fact that the external wound was still puffy, but seemed to be healing well. He covered it as a precaution and took a long, hot shower, scrubbing away some of the sea smell and the stress of the day. He hit up the nearest open street cart for dinner and then fell into bed, resting his eyes, and then finding himself dead to the world until well after dawn.

A quick rinse and stretch made him feel almost human again, and he headed to the training area to check on the various recruits and the work that had happened in his absence. He found himself overrun by people eager to hear about his daring exploits, and he finally found himself a quiet corner before finding Iris in Clarus's office.

"Hey," she greeted him.

"Welcome back," he answered with a little smile.

"Feeling alright?"

He nodded. "I was going to have tea with Regis, want in?"

"Sure," she answered, moving some papers around. "I was just... you know, shuffling papers. Dad's going to want us out in Pagla soon, but you should rest up some."

"Believe it or not, I've had worse," he answered.

"That's not a comfort." She stood though, and then joined him, walking beside as they headed to the gardens. "And even if you did..."

"Sorry, I shouldn't be cavalier about it," he said. "It's easy to be when you're... well I've been doing this a long while."

"I know," she answered, but she shook her head after. "It's... I still remember you closing your eyes and just... for a few seconds I thought you were dead."

"Apparently I'm not that easy to kill, but... I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, I should be grateful, you know? You did save my life, I shouldn't be that picky about how you went about it."

He could tell it was bothering her, though, that he'd nearly died. It was so old hat for him that he almost found it difficult to really grasp. He almost died, it was just like another day. "Still... my apologies."

She gave him a little smile, which he answered, and the two of them headed out into the gardens. "You know I don't usually just have tea with the King..."

"He's just a meddling ass, you get used to him," Cor answered, placing a light hand on her shoulder to urge her through the narrow paths of the gardens. "He's much less impressive if you've known him since he was eighteen."

She gave a little nervous giggle, but they did eventually round one of the final bends and Regis was there, thumbing through something on his phone before he glanced up at the pair. "Cor, Lady Iris."

"Your Majesty," she answered, giving a perfect curtsy before the King gestured and she joined the table.

"I hear Altissia was quite the adventure," Regis said, looking to Iris.

Her head shot up, nervously, focused as she was on pouring herself tea. "Adventure is one word for it... um, well... when we arrived we weren't able to do much on the political front because there was a surprise budget bill in Parliament and the First Secretary was busy with that, so we... um did some tourist stuff."

"Tourst stuff? Do tell."

"Um... the National Museum and some of the food. It was so different from an Altissian restaurant," Iris began, she thought about it more. "Gelato, fresh pasta, um..."

"The hall of arms," Cor added. "And the shopping district."

"That was fun," Iris agreed, turning back to Regis. "The Royal Arms are all so beautiful, I don't think I'd really seen them... you know the real ones."

"They are remarkable pieces of craftsmanship to the one," Regis answered with a little smile. "It sounds like you did have an excellent time playing tourist. I hope you did too, Cor. I seem to recall you were far too focused on duty to actually enjoy yourself."

Cor smiled at that, and glanced over to where Iris was looking at him with a look that screamed 'I told you so' and he answered with a nod that said 'yes, yes you did'. "I did," he answered, turning back to Regis. "I was a tourist."

"After that..." Iris took a deep breath, eyes closed for a moment, and Cor watched some of Regis's good cheer evaporate.

He reached out, hand on her shoulder, and he squeezed. He waited through Iris's deep breath, and then another, before he let his hand fall and returned to his tea.

"Anyway, we met with the First Secretary, and she gave the okay for the hearing to have Drautos released, and then we did that..." Iris was quiet for a long moment. "All hell broke loose, he stabbed Cor, took out the guards... and... um. I killed him."

A few moments later, she reached up to her eyes, her palm digging in, likely to keep herself from crying, but Cor knew she must have been teetering on the brink. He knew Regis wouldn't judge her, he wouldn't even mention it if Iris had been bawling. Instead Cor produced a handkerchief and passed it over, and Iris took it to her eyes, a mix of salt tears and a little bit of makeup coming off as she did.

"A good deal more excitement than I think your father or I expected," Regis said after Iris collected herself.

"Yeah," she answered, nodding and looking up, taking another deep breath and adding a weak little smile. "I mean... saves us a trial, right?" She laughed, a tiny bit manic, but she came down after and Cor waited, watching her, and she finally seemed to settle after a moment of pause.

"I know it's not a great comfort, but you saved lives with what you did," Regis said, and he tilted his head to catch her eye, and Iris looked up into his eyes and smiled.

It made Cor annoyed for reasons he couldn't quite put his finger on, but Iris did eventually look away and turned back to Cor. "Thank you, Your Majesty, I'm... working through it."

"Take your time," Regis assured her. "I hope you actually took some time to recuperate." He turned back to Cor.

"Iris wouldn't let me get away with anything," Cor answered, bemused. "By which I mean we went to the opera."

"Dream Oath," Iris added.

"One of my favorites," Cor admitted.

"I didn't know that," she said. "You acted like you hated it!"

He looked away, a touch abashed. "Well, it's... I like opera," he admitted, finally.

"We should go sometime!" She reached out and shoved at his shoulder, and he reached back to hers, nudging her back. 

When he looked back up, Regis was hiding his mouth behind his hand with a look in his eyes that said he was smiling, and after a few moments he neatened his beard and cleared his throat. "I'm glad to see you enjoyed yourselves."

Cor took a deep breath and looked back over to Regis. "I did spend some time as a tourist."

"The city is so beautiful," Iris agreed. "I'd like to go back someday... not right now, but sometime."

"I'm certain you'll have another chance. Diplomatic opportunities to head to Altissia happen quite frequently, and I know you'd be top of any list of choices."

Iris beamed, and Cor felt himself smile in response at her joy. He would doubtless miss spending time with her if she was overseas, but he knew she would love to return to Altissia. The time she had spent there was obviously fondly remembered despite the pieces of terribleness.

Regis inquired a little more about their activities in Altissia, and a bit about the politics with Camilla, before Iris finally excused herself to get back to work and Cor found himself smiling after her.

That was about when he received a fairly firm smack to the back of the head from his reigning monarch. "What the hells was that for?"

"You know I consider you a smart man, Cor," Regis began after a long pause. "But you are also without a doubt one of the most idiotic men I've had the pleasure of being friends with."

Cor didn't know what Regis was talking about, which was doubtless proof to Regis that he was correct.

"When's the last time you got laid?"

Cor gave Regis his most unimpressed look, but ultimately he couldn't deny that he put up with the ribbing because Regis was a friend. He and Clarus both considered him a _project_ , and his love life had always been up for grabs. "I don't know. Five, six months?"

"And a girlfriend?"

"Longer," he answered, his tone hopefully conveying 'what's your point', since apparently his annoyed face didn't.

Regis sighed. "And here you are ignoring a perfectly wonderful woman who you clearly adore for reasons I can't even begin to fathom."

Cor had no idea what Regis was talking about, but: "I don't have time for a relationship right now, Regis. We have all the treaty issues, I'm going to be heading to Pagla with Iris in a week or two at the latest."

Regis nodded, almost waiting, and then when Cor said nothing else he reached out and added another slight whap to the head, that Cor took in good grace before he gave Regis another 'what the hells' look. "I will never understand how you manage to get girlfriends sometimes."

Cor decided not to mention that his various relationships he had on occasion were usually the result of a woman approaching him and asking for a date. Cor had never really picked up the knack for... all of that. Generally speaking after the initial hurdle was overcome he managed to be a reasonably decent boyfriend until the next mission or time when he was pulled away from Insomnia for weeks at a time.

"Iris." Regis waited.

"What about her?"

"You just spent two weeks in the most romantic city in the world tasting gelato and going to museums. She just invited you to the opera not a half hour ago."

Cor opened his mouth to argue, to just reflexively deny what Regis was suggesting. He and Iris were friends; they had spent time together in Altissia for business... but the more he sat in slightly stymied silence the more he wondered. "We... she's a friend."

Regis waited.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"You're the one that's being ridiculous, Cor." Regis shook his head. "But go ahead if you must, bury your head in the sand."

Thankfully Regis stopped talking about Iris and the blatantly ridiculous idea that she had feelings for him. Of course, the damn seeds were planted and he found himself thinking about the idea now... wondering. Iris was beautiful, of course, he knew that; she was smart and funny and any man would be lucky to have her... Cor just doubted she would have any interest in someone like him: old, run down, stubborn, and unromantic. She deserved far better.

Toward the end of the day, a knock came on his door and after he called for them to enter, Iris opened the door, standing there... beautiful and smiling and sunshine incarnate. "Hey."

"Hey," he answered, feeling himself smile in return. He always smiled around her...

"There's this sushi place down the street, do you know it?"

"Sure, it's pretty decent. I've been there a few times."

"You wanna go?" she asked, she bit her lip, and Cor could tell she was nervous.

 _She just invited you to the opera not a half hour ago_. And now she was asking him to dinner... "A date?" he suggested.

Cor watched Iris's face go through an incredible variety of emotions all in one moment. Shocked for a moment, and then she smiled, then bit her lip to stop smiling so hard, then smiled even harder, causing her lip to break free and join the rest of her face. She then straightened a bit and then looked at him again, her face struggling to stay blank. "Sure?"

She almost squeaked, and that was what finally made Cor chuckle.

"I thought you..." She stumbled over her words, flustered, and then she finally looked at him. "I thought you weren't into me."

"Just an idiot," he assured her. He then checked his watch to find it was almost six in the evening. "Now?"

"Yeah. Um... sure. Sorry, I didn't really expect..."

He stood after that, and took a brief moment to be oddly thrilled at how giddy Iris seemed. He grabbed his jacket and pulled it on, coming to where she was standing by the door and held out his elbow. Iris reached out, and then after a fraction of hesitation she looped her arm through his and then relaxed against him.

He locked up, and then the two of them headed toward the front of the Citadel.

"So what... what changed?" she asked. "I've been flirting for weeks..."

He pressed his fingers against her elbow. "A particularly meddlesome king may have mentioned you were interested."

"Oh gods that's embarrassing."

"It just so happens that's about the only way I notice if someone's interested. I don't make a lot of time for romance, and I'm usually pretty oblivious to... flirting." He might as well admit that outright, because she would need to know. "It's not that I don't care, it's that... everything else feels more important... Which probably sounds like I don't care."

She chuckled. "It's alright, but you do... um...?"

"Iris, you... deserve far, far better, but I can't deny getting to know you the last few weeks has been... wonderful. You are an exceptional woman, and if that wasn't enough you're fierce... and saved my life."

Iris blushed a little, but they kept walking, and she eventually looked back up at him and smiled. "I just like being with you," she said, her smile staying warm. "Even just talking or walking down the street I just feel... warm."

They made poor time to the restaurant, Iris seemed to need to pause every block to poke at him and look and smile, and Cor found his smiles in response growing broader and broader, but they did eventually get there, find a seat, and Iris asked Cor to order for them, so they ended up with whatever the hell the chef wanted to serve them.

"That's always the best, anyway," he assured her.

The two of them drank tea, and Cor submitted himself to the indignity of telling Iris that his king had called him an idiot, and the two of them sat, thigh to thigh, and Cor couldn't help but feel incredibly content and happy, probably for the first time in years.

"This is great," she said, prodding one of the pieces of sushi and then eating it. "A little strange for Insomnian, but I can tell why you like carpaccio. It's just... fresh."

"Mmhmm," he agreed, picking up a piece of squid sushi and offering it to Iris.

She gave an adorable little blush before eating the bite off of his chopsticks and chewing. "I never would have thought I'd like octopus, but there's so much in Altissian cuisine, it's... weird but good." Iris then gave a playful snuggle against his side, and Cor looped an arm over her shoulder. It made eating a little more awkward, but far more enjoyable.

Chatter was light and easy. That was one thing that Cor had truly grown to appreciate about Iris was that she seemed to have an endless supply of conversation, but was also somehow more than happy to just be silent.

They had more tea and food, and then the two of them left the shop and Cor took Iris's hand, the two of them made a quiet meander through the downtown area around the Citadel. It was vaguely reminiscent of their time in Altissia, and Cor was having a hard time believing how much of an idiot he was to not notice Iris's affection before.

A light tug, and he was pulled over to a short wall that marked one of the outlines of the Citadel grounds. Iris hopped up on it, drawing herself up to be almost as tall as Cor. He chuckled, and then another light tug and he realized her aim. He let her hand drop, and he looked at her, watching the hint of nerves and happiness in her brown eyes. Cor brought his hand up, the backs of his fingers gently brushing along her jaw, and she tilted her head into the touch before he reached to gently run his fingers through the hair at the nape of her neck.

Iris leaned in, and Cor brought his lips to hers, lightly brushing together, barely touching, and he heard her little gasp before her own hands came to his shoulders and she leaned in more. They stayed like that, lips skating gently against each other, just at the edge of a kiss for long seconds as Cor savored the softness of her lips and the delicate strands of her hair between his fingers.

A delicate probe from Iris's tongue broke the stalemate, and then she pulled him closer and his mouth crashed against hers. He began to map her mouth, groaning at her own efforts to do the same, cataloging the happy little whimpers that Iris made in return. Her fingers grasped at his shoulders, digging in just the right side of painful, and his free hand came to her back to tug her body closer to his.

When they finally broke apart, Iris's breath was ragged and Cor couldn't say he'd fared much better.

"I want to kiss you forever," she said, smile bright and happy and sweet.

He laughed. "When would you breathe?"

"We'll figure something out."

He took the invitation and returned to kissing her, stealing her breath again, before finally stepping back enough to put distance between them. Iris reached out, and he found their fingers tangled together, hands locked, entangled by this woman and powerless to care.

"Wanna come over and make out on the couch?" she asked.

Cor smiled, tried not to laugh both at how sweet it was and how much he wanted to say yes. "I would love to."

Perhaps he should have felt slightly guilty, sitting on the Amicitia family couch with Iris's legs spread across his thighs, his hands flirting with the small of her back, and her hands under his shirt, but he was completely incapable of caring. Even a simple kiss was so, so much better with a woman he adored, and she made his heart hammer in his chest. When she broke away and looked down at him, breath uneven, eyes hooded, and a coy bite of her own lip, Cor considered the very real possibility that this might be what love felt like.

*

Cor found himself in an odd haze that almost felt like shell shock the next day. He did his job, he trained men in the morning, he exercised in the late afternoon, and Regis joined him for a spar just before lunch.

"So a little bird told me you were out with Lady Iris last night," Regis said as the two of them stretched between bouts.

"Shit. Is it around court? I don't want her to..." As much as he'd enjoyed last night, the last thing he wanted was for Iris to acquire a less than favorable reputation just because she wanted to be with him for some reason he didn't understand.

Regis raised a hand and settled Cor's nerves with a simple smile and gesture. "The bird was Iris, don't worry."

"Oh." That was a relief. "Wait... why is she talking to you about us?"

"It's 'us' now, is it?" Regis asked with a little smirk. "But it came about when a particularly distraught Lady Iris called after you were injured. I already suspected she was fond of you, but I'll freely admit to becoming a co-conspirator when you two returned from Altissia. It was easy to see you cared for her, I just gave you a nudge."

"Your project," Cor answered, slightly amused. "Well... thank you."

"My pleasure," Regis answered, drawing his sword again and inviting Cor to another bout.

The two of them grabbed some water after the training and Cor stretched. "You're not too rusty at least."

"Have to be ready should the Old Wall become needed," Regis answered.

They both knew it was unlikely, but it was good to know that Regis still could command the Old Wall. Cor remembered Mors's last years far too well as the New Wall drained his life and vigor at a relatively young age.

"Well, the city's in... vaguely competent hands," Cor assured him.

His king snorted and then gave him an elbow to the side.

"I find myself a little worried Clarus will murder me," Cor admitted after a long lull in the conversation. It was impossible to worry last night, but in the light of day he did worry.

"Clarus is a smart man," Regis assured him. "A man who makes his daughter happy should be his first desire for her. Just make her happy."

That was it's own concern... "You know how bad I am at all this. I have a hard time... with everything, birthdays, dinners, little gestures..."

"Well... we'll try a little quiz." Cor rolled his eyes. "Favorite flowers?"

"Volcanic Dewbursts."

"Jewelry?" 

"Quirky, colorful, and nontraditional. She wears heirloom pieces for formal events."

"Hobbies?"

"Sewing and kickboxing."

"You'll do fine," Regis assured him.

"I didn't do anything," he protested.

"Well, do something nice. She did put herself out there a bit, invited you to dinner, make her feel special."

Cor had no idea what to say to that. Of course he'd like her to feel special, but... just taking her our to dinner or something felt trite.

"You have a hard time with relationships because you never place a girl first," Regis said.

"But my duty to the Crown--"

"Gets to take a vacation now and again," he finished for Cor. "I'm sure Iris knows you have duties, but I also know we're at peace and there's really very little I need you to stab."

Regis... wasn't wrong. Cor sighed, but that brought the same trouble back again. Get flowers, take her to dinner, that was simple enough, but something that actually meant more than a rote date seemed difficult.

"Ice cream," he said.

"Oh?"

"Do you know a good ice cream place? Somewhere with seats?"

Regis gave him a little smile and the name of a little gourmet boutique ice cream shop that he frequented with Noct when he was growing up.

Nearing well past six he headed over to Iris's office where she was scribbling down Six knew what. 

"Hey."

She answered with a brilliant smile.

"Not sure if I approve of you conspiring with our King," he continued, voice wry, as he shut the door behind him and then leaned against the wall.

"It's for a good cause."

He made himself comfortable on the corner of her desk, relaxed. "Busy?"

"Just some trade import data for dad. Nothing that can't wait a bit." She pushed back from her desk and then gave him a little smile. "Did you want something?"

"To see you." He held out a hand and Iris stood with his gesture, and then came to stand between his legs as he perched on her desk. She leaned in and brought smiling lips to his, and then she nuzzled along the shell of his ear before pressing a kiss there. "To... invite you on a date?"

"As if I'd say no," she answered, softly at his ear, before she placed a final kiss at his jaw and leaned back. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. But..." He held out a hand and a motorcycle helmet appeared from his arsenal. "You'll need this."

"You're going to mess up my hair," she pouted, not really meaning it but it gave him an excuse to lean in and kiss her lips again.

"You look cute that way."

Her answer, of course, was to reach out and ruffle his hair, fingers raking through the short strands and then placing her lips to his. It deteriorated from there, his hand found its way to her butt and she happily climbed up to straddle him and kiss him. He was more than content to stay there with her, like that, for far too long before he gently broke their kiss.

"I still owe you a date," he said, and she slid away with a little smile. "You're..." He shook his head, trying to clear it, shocked by how much he just liked... being near her. Her constant desire to touch and kiss was certainly enjoyable, but her mere presence was its own joy. "Come on."

She looped her arm through his, and the two of them headed out to Cor's bike and then off into the Insomnian evening. They parked at the ice cream parlor, and Iris gave him a quick glance. He could tell she wasn't certain what the date was, even though it was obviously ice cream, but he led her inside and after a quick discussion with the server at the counter, he and Iris sat next to each other.

"Ice cream?" she asked with a little smile.

A few minutes later, a huge tray with at least two dozen flavors was placed in front of them, and Iris looked up at him, her face lit up in a huge smile.

"I figured I'd steal one of your date ideas for another date."

"This time you know it is a date," she said, and she reached out to take a spoon that Cor offered.

Quiet chatter about their day followed, discussions of ice cream flavors, favorites, and Iris sometimes tilting her spoon towards him for him to eat off of and him returning the favor before joining her in chocolate pistachio kisses, or toffee lemon... some of the kisses were better than others, but all of them were Iris, so Cor couldn't complain.

"This is really sweet," she said, tilting her head to rest against his shoulder for a moment.

"I'm not..." He didn't know how to say what he needed to, but he reached out a hand and twined his fingers with hers. "I worry I'll... I'm not very good at prioritizing others. There are plenty of reasons, but I've spent so much of my life focused on Lucis that I lose focus on anything else."

"You know that's a part of what I like about you, right?" she asked, pulling back so she could look him in the eyes and smile. Cor found himself smiling back, and he reached out to brush his fingers along her jaw and enjoy the way she nuzzled into him. "Just... let me know you care."

"I'll try," he promised.

After their ice cream, Cor and Iris headed off, only for Iris to cling to him like an octopus the second they made it to his bike, and the two of them shared kisses there, Cor's legs wobbling a little as he got caught up in the kiss and his hands clung to her back.

"Hey," she said when they pulled away, her fingers came up and ran gently across his collarbones and then she leaned in and kissed at his throat.

"You're a monster," he said, laughing and nudging her back. "Let's get you home."

Iris pouted, but she slid so she was pressed up against his back instead of his front, her hands clinging to his chest and her nose pressed to his back. He parked against the back of the long Amicitia driveway, and was more than happy to be tugged along toward the door, Iris fumbling with her keys and Cor nuzzling at her throat from behind.

The two of them ended up against the closet door, Iris's legs around his waist and his mouth on hers. Iris was ridiculous and insatiable, and someday when they made it to bed he had a feeling she would be just as insatiable there. There was no way she wouldn't be.

"Lady Ir--?"

Iris yelped, Cor nearly dropped her, and the two of them ended up looking to their right where a _very_ startled Jared was standing, obviously having come to greet Iris from work.

"Hi," she squeaked. The two of them disentangled after that, Cor only slightly less startled than Iris was.

Jared, to his credit, cleared his throat and seemed to recover the first of all of them. He brushed his hand down his neatly pressed jacket. "Would you and the Marshal care for refreshments?"

"Sure," Iris recovered next, standing up straight and finding some poise. "And, um... don't tell dad."

Jared paused for a moment himself. "If Master Clarus asks after you and the Marshal, I'm afraid I cannot lie, but somehow I doubt it will come up without some prompting."

Iris seemed to accept that was the best she was going to get. "We'll be in the sitting room." She then wrapped her fingers around Cor's wrist and gave him a gentle tug.

The two of them glanced over at each other, and Iris was the first to break, smiling and then erupting into a giggle. "Well that was... um... embarrassing."

He had his own nerves that he was coming down from. Iris's first thought - Jared telling Clarus - was his own fear as well. "It does raise an important point."

"Dad?" she asked. "Yeah... I... he doesn't know that I was interested in you. I didn't know if he'd approve, and you seemed to not even notice me, so I didn't see the point of bringing it up to him. Don't need to share every hopeless crush with my dad."

Cor felt his heart squeeze just a bit at that. The truth was he'd found Iris to be an extraordinary woman from the first moment they'd started talking, he was sad to know how much he'd turned her away without even noticing. "Sorry."

She shook her head, but used it as an excuse to slide against his side and the two of them sat like that. Cor ended up playing with her hair, fingers teasing with the strands. "I do worry what your father will think," Cor said after he'd soothed himself with the soft feeling of her hair and the rhythm of her breathing at his shoulder. "I worry about the court as well..."

Iris snorted, but was interrupted by saying anything else by a pointed knock on the closed sitting room door. Jared left them with some tea and cookies, and a gentle nod, before he left and closed the door behind him.

"I probably should worry about that, but..." She ignored what she had been about to say and instead went to work pouring them tea and preparing the two cups and handing one to Cor. "I don't know, I just hate it. Am I really supposed to ask you if you intend to marry me the second we start dating?"

Cor sputtered slightly, and hid the rest of his discomfort behind sipping on too hot tea.

"Exactly," Iris continued, since obviously his reaction had been the entire point of her question. "And Gladdy gets to do whatever he wants on that front and no one's bugging him about when _he's_ getting married. I like you," she said. "I like talking to you, I like kissing you, I like hugging you... is that enough for now?"

"More than," he assured her, and the two of them returned to sitting close, Iris's legs folded under her as she leaned against him. "I don't even know what I'd say to Clarus, really."

Cor would have liked to be able to go up to his friend and assure him that he loved Iris with all his heart, and while he could imagine that a fraction of that might someday be true, he also knew there would always have to be room for duty, for Lucis... and he would never be able to look Clarus in the eye and tell him that he loved Iris before anything.

"What?" Iris asked, nudging a finger against his chest, obviously reading something on his face.

"You deserve someone who can love you whole-heartedly," he answered.

He watched Iris's face go from a little smile to an exasperated sigh in a matter of moments, and then she stretched to put down her tea and then brought her hand up to his chest. Cor didn't even realize what she was doing, not precisely, until her hand flattened against his ribs across the mostly healed scar there. "Enough falling on your sword for me, Marshal."

Cor had to smile at that, and he leaned forward to catch her lips in a quick kiss. "Alright."

"You know who's good enough for me?" she asked, obviously the start of a rhetorical question. "The guy I want and who wants me back."

It was a valid point, one he couldn't really argue with, so he nodded and returned to their precarious tea and snuggling. "I'll be yours then," he answered, finally. He still worried, still had his doubts of his own ability to be there for her, but if she was going to say she wanted him, he could hardly say no.

"Good," she answered, and then they fell more quiet, Cor with his hand against her hip, Iris curled up in his arm."So, do you know when the King will be sending us to Pagla?"

"Another week at least," Cor answered. "For some reason when you get stabbed your King wants you to relax. He's likely also interested me having a chance to..." He chuckled at himself, burying his face in Iris's hair and enjoying the warm, sunny smell of her hair, "spent time with my girlfriend."

"A _girlfriend_ ," Iris asked, mock gasping. "What's she like?"

"Hmmm... quite endearing," he answered, and he pulled Iris closer. "Very smart, very pretty..." She tilted toward him and slid to press herself against him. "Driving me to distraction right now."

"Good," she said, leaning to place her tea on the table and then returning to run her hand against his chest. "Well I... got a boyfriend recently," she paused, her fingers playing there for a moment, her eyes watching. "He... he's sweet, super hot."

Cor snorted.

"You are," she protested. "It should be illegal for you to walk around in a dress uniform. I think that's when I went from 'he's nice' to... 'damn'."

"I remember..." He considered, trying to remember it exactly. "You were dressed in this red dress." He brought his hand to her side, remembering the way her entire side all the way down showed just a little skin.

"You liked it?" she asked, biting her lip with a little smile.

"I'm a simple man," he answered. "You're gorgeous." She was also continuing to be very distracting, her hand teasing a little further down. "But..." He captured her hand and then brought it up to his lips. "I want to do this right, and that means..."

"Dad?" she asked, a little wince on her face.

"You're allowed to know your own heart, obviously," he answered, releasing her hand so he could touch her face instead. "But if this is going to be something more than a fling I need to submit myself for parental approval."

"You're... I guess we should talk about that. You want something... a relationship?"

"Iris, I'm fairly certain that, best friends or not, your father, the king, and Weskham will _all_ murder me if I played with you like that," Cor answered.

"Lord Armaugh barely knows me," she protested. 

"Well he knows me, and your father," he answered, but he went to find her hand and instead ended up running his own fingers against her leg. "But yes, to say it: I want to have a relationship with you. I'm worried I'll handle it badly and frustrate you and push you away, but you're already important to me."

"We'll sort the rest out as we go," she promised him after that, and Cor nodded. "You... um... you'd be my first."

A part of him had honestly hoped that wouldn't be the case, that she'd had someone before... but another part of him was glad to know he could try to make it special. "I'm happy to wait until you're comfortable," he assured her.

She blushed, and then buried her face against his neck. "Sometimes I look at you, and I'm like 'Six, I want him so bad'."

That made him flush a little in response, but he ran his hands along her back.

"But I know I'd just be so nervous if we actually... were together. I know you must be used to women who--"

He moved immediately, and he put a thumb to her lips to keep her from saying what he knew she must be about to say. "Iris." He looked her square in the eye, and he saw her huge brown ones looking back at him. "I'm not some horny teenage boy. You're beautiful, and when you're ready I know it will be a pleasure. Until then I'm just happy to have you."

"Alright," she answered, smiling bright. "Yeah that's... good. Thanks, Cor."

They hugged after that, Iris sprawled on top of him, his arms around her, the two of them squeezing tight. Eventually they actually drank their tea, and Cor asked after the trade issues Iris was working on for Clarus, and Iris asked about training, and it was remarkably comfortable.

"I should get going," he said, far too late in the evening.

He kissed her pout away, and then made his way to the door. Jared was there, and he got Cor's coat for him at Cor's request.

"Marshal. I do hope you don't intend to keep Master Clarus in the dark for long."

"Not long," Cor assured the man. "Just... we need some time to figure it out."

By the next afternoon, Cor was wading through at least a half-dozen etiquette books and desperately trying to find one that had manners for the last _century_ , much less the last decade.

He was interrupted from his pursuit of knowledge by Regis, who reminded him quite pointedly that they were _supposed_ to be having sparring practice.

"Dinner party?" Regis asked.

Cor glowered at him. "No."

He then took the book from Cor and looked at the section he was reading. "Well that's adorable."

"Don't make me stab you," Cor answered, putting the book away and heading to the practice courts with Regis.

A courier with a small package came in the mid afternoon, helpfully marked with a cloth bookmark to the section he needed: 'modern preliminary courtship gifts'.

He showed the relatively meager offering to Regis a week or so later, which - of course - earned him a 'Cor, I'm flattered, but Aulea and I are quite happy' before Regis actually made an earnest look at the gift.

"It's really nice," Regis said, inspecting the metal workmanship. Cor couldn't have claimed to have gotten the most expensive thing he could have found, but he hoped that the thing would at least be something Iris would like.

"I wanted to give her something before we headed to Pagla," he admitted. "Just to show Clarus she's someone I take seriously, not..."

He also wanted Iris to know that. They'd only managed two more dates, but the two of them would be leaving for Pagla in a few days and he wanted something to say that even if he knew he was going to mess it up, Iris meant a lot to him.

"Well this communicates it perfectly."

"It's not too...?" He didn't even know what to ask. Regis would likely understand, he understood these things far better than Cor did.

"I know you said she wears family pieces for special occasions, but this wouldn't be out of place," Regis assured him.

He took a deep breath, and nodded. Regis handed him the bracelet back and Cor placed it back in the trim jewelry box.

"Good luck with Clarus," Regis offered when Cor tucked the box back into his Crownsguard jacket.

"Thanks... I think I might need it."

"He'll come around." Regis reached out and gave Cor a light squeeze on the shoulder. "Eventually..."

Cor gave a little snort. "I expect it to take a while... Honestly, a part of me wishes she weren't so..." He closed his eyes, he hated to even think it, but finding himself caring for Iris was probably one of the worst things he could have done, the most complicated, but then she smiled at him and he couldn't worry. "Well, I should get my paperwork finished up before we have to head out."

"Take the girl to dinner."

Cor gave him an annoyed glance. Iris had already insisted on cooking for them tonight, and Cor wasn't going to argue with that. It seemed safest, and he was more than happy to share a light meal and soft kisses with a beautiful woman.

*

The trip out of Insomnia a few days later by boat had Iris just as excited as their last journey had. They would have almost a week at sea and Cor took advantage of the opportunity to stand close to Iris and hold her in a way that he could now, his arms wrapped around her waist as she looked out over the Sound.

Insomnia's city lights were fading into the distance as the sun set, and he and Iris stood, fingers twined together, as they looked out on the city they loved together. "So... I wanted to get you something," he said as Iris pressed closer.

"Oh?"

He gently disentangled them and then pulled out the jewelry case from his jacket, stepping back from the edge of the boat. He pried open the case to show her. "Here."

The soft gasp and the way she lit up the night sky was more than reward enough, but the tentative way she reached out to touch the offered jewelry was heart melting. Cor watched as she picked up the tennis bracelet and began to inspect the workmanship, her smile growing wider each second. Cor had vacillated between worrying it was too gaudy or too plain for days: a fairly standard diamond tennis bracelet had been the original idea, but every inch or so it was studded with pink sapphire gems set in a six pointed flower pattern, each with a tiny emerald at the center.

He'd asked for something reminiscent of the volcanic blooms that Iris favored, and Cor felt it had been close enough, but he hoped...

"Six this is beautiful, Cor," Iris said after a moment. "I love it. It... it's perfect."

When Cor looked he saw that Iris was crying, just a few tears at the corners of her eyes, and he brushed them away before holding out a hand, taking the case and drawing out the bracelet. She offered her left wrist, and Cor brought the bracelet around and clasped it closed, he then he put away case and brought her wrist up to his lips and offered a little kiss.

"Seriously, it's perfect," Iris said again, and then grabbed him around the neck and pulled him in to an affectionate kiss.

Not one to deny Iris, he scooped her up and they made their way to one of the benches and kissed for long minutes before Iris finally let him breathe.

"I'm glad," he answered, cupping her face in his hands and brushing soft kisses against her lips. "I wanted something that says I'm serious, Iris. I'd like to make this work."

"Well that's what it says," she agreed softly. "You know this is... um sort of a courtship gift, right?"

"I know," he chuckled. "A part of it is so when your father asks I can say I want to do right by you." He didn't know if Iris would still care for him in a few months or years, but he wasn't going to take her for granted while she wanted to be with him.

"I'm going to wear it every day," she said holding out her arm and watching the gems catch a bit of the evening light.

"I'm glad you like it," he said, running his hands against her legs.

"I _love_ it." And she kissed him again to demonstrate exactly how much she loved it.

The city lights faded over the horizon before they finally left to get some dinner and then spent the evening in Iris's cabin, Iris reading, Cor reading and using Iris's thigh as a pillow while she stroked his hair. Iris would sometimes distract him, playfully running a finger along the bridge of his nose or against his lip, and he would kiss her finger, or nuzzle, and he would watch her blush for a moment before she returned to her reading.

She was drifting off much later, head tilted back and making a noise too dainty to be snoring but still quite adorable. Cor closed his book and sat up, looking at Iris like that, her head listing to one side, eyes closed, hair covering her forehead at odd angles and framing her pale face. He smiled down at her, and even leaned in to press a kiss to her nose before he stood and scooped her up, planning to move her to bed.

He laid her there, on top of the covers, and after a brief war of conscience he tugged off her shoes and left them at the foot of the bed. "Good night, Iris."

Before he could turn around, she reached her hand out and gently touched the back of his wrist. "Stay?"

She was looking up at him then, eyes sleepy but clear.

"Let me get some things," he said, stepping back and she let him go.

Even with distance to think better of it, he really couldn't convince himself not to spend the night with her. They were dating, and as much as he sometimes worried about making her feel she needed to please him in bed, she'd been easy and comfortable with him since their last talk on the topic.

When he returned to Iris's room with a small bag of his things, Iris had changed into a thin, black camisole and underwear, enough to be modest, but more revealing than he usually saw her. He brushed his teeth and stripped down to his own boxers and undershirt, grey and boring, but functional. The bed was small, more than large enough to fit Iris, but it would have been a slight squeeze for Cor under any circumstances; sharing with another person, however small, made the quarters a bit tighter.

Iris solved this by dimming the cabin lights, sending their shared quarters into darkness softly lit by the exterior boat lights, and using his shoulder as a pillow and clinging to his entire right side like a octopus.

"Comfortable?" he asked, after she had taken a few minutes to snuggle in and make herself at home in the crook of his arm.

"Yeah. You?" she checked.

"Never better." He made use of the position to hold her close in his arms and then took advantage of the chance to run his fingers through her hair. He loved her hair, short cropped and soft, He'd always found it sweet and endearing before they started dating, now he just loved the way her hair felt and the happy thrill that came from it being... allowed.

She reached out and ran her fingers along his sternum, gently walking them there and down to his stomach. He couldn't fight the reflexive urge to worry. He wasn't a young man, however fit he remained, and he couldn't deny the occasional worry that his far younger girlfriend might have wanted trim, cut...

Iris squeezed him close, breaking his train of thought and replacing it with an amused chuckle.

"Could I..." He couldn't see, but he could imagine she blushed. "Could I take your shirt off?"

Cor scrunched up a bit, reaching down for the hem of his shirt and tugging it over his head. Iris's hand came up to his chest and Cor felt her small, warm hands carefully mapping the skin there. Her hand came to rest over the smooth, scarred skin from his most recent brush with death, and Iris's fingers danced around it for a moment before she continued to explore. She found a very old blast scar at his shoulder, and a nick or two here and there, simple cuts that had gone deeper than the usual, and then her hand came to rest at the center of his chest, loosely holding him down. Her moments of stillness didn't last long, as she soon set to work teasing her fingers against the chest hair he had there, before she leaned in to nuzzle.

That was what caused him to laugh, finally, and wrap her up in two arms and pin her close. She slid up to kiss at his throat, and then captured his lips before she rose up enough that Cor could see her face, dark hair surrounded in a halo of light. "You're handsome."

He smiled, glad she thought so at least. "And you are gorgeous," he answered. "And sleepy."

She grumbled to say he was correct and then returned to her staked out position, his arm wrapped around her back, her hand on his chest. Cor didn't usually have trouble falling asleep, but it did take some time with the unfamiliar presence of another person beside him. Iris's fingers tickled against his chest for several long minutes before her fingers finally slackened and he began to memorize the soft breaths of Iris's sleep.

"I'm a lucky guy," he whispered to her sleeping form, and he brought his free hand up to cover hers, fingers knitting with hers, before he finally relaxed enough to let himself sleep.

*

Iris asked for him to stay the next night, and the next, until Cor finally asked if he should just give up on his own cabin and Iris gave him a shy little smile before saying: 'if you'd like'.

"I'm going to miss this tiny little bed," Iris said almost a week after their departure from Insomnia as they packed up for disembarking later that day.

"I'll take the larger bed," Cor answered, gently folding one of his t-shirts. "As long as I get to keep you."

She looked at him and he watched her entire face light up. "Succarpe to Cartanica's about a day, right? That's the first leg of the trip?"

He nodded. "I booked us a hotel in Succarpe, we won't be landing until well into the afternoon and I'm an old man, I'd rather sleep in a hotel bed than a train one."

Iris stuck her tongue out at that, and Cor leaned in to play at nipping her only for Iris to respond with an enthusiastic nip at his own lip that devolved into the two of them pressed hard against one of the walls. Cor's hand on her butt to keep her pressed tight.

"Pretty spry for an old man," Iris answered when she finally broke their kiss.

He pressed a kiss to her nose before letting her slide back down to the floor, a hand gently touching her shoulder. 

"So is Succarpe nice?" Iris asked, pulling back and deescalating the kiss.

"I've never been, actually," Cor answered. "Niff engagements were largely on Lucian territory until the end and we largely inserted at Tenebrae despite the longer push. We didn't want the outer territories to get trampled on and ruin the good will we had."

"Makes sense..."

"Supposedly they have very good lamb," Cor finished. "And a lighthouse, um... and a fish market."

Iris pondered, taking one of her dresses from the hanging closet area and brushing it to check for wrinkles. "Well the fish market sounds... cool, but not like you'd get a souvenir or something. And wouldn't it be worse in the evening?"

"Best fish is the morning's, yes," Cor answered.

"Lighthouse though... that could be nice, dinner..." She smiled. "Sounds like a date."

"Yes it does."

They arrived at the chilly, rocky port that made up the Succarpe point, and took the rickety stairs up the long jagged wall that met the sea. 

"Odd place for a port!" Iris noted, voice loud to carry over the whipping wind.

"It only gets worse farther north and south," Cor answered. "There's an old sea cave that was the original port. Trade goods still come in there. Passengers get to walk."

A few more steps and Cor tugged off his jacket to throw it over Iris's shoulders where she was shivering. He also grabbed her huge luggage trunk and hoisted his own and hers over his shoulders and followed her up the steep stairs. Once they finally crested the sheer wall, the wind was still bad, but not quite as oppressive, and the two of them made short work of a trip to the bus and taxi stand and got their ride to the small, seaside hotel that Cor had booked.

"Holy shit!" Iris said as she threw open the shutters of their room.

The proprietor had said the view was fantastic, but Cor had to marvel at the view of the inland Sathersea and the barely visible coast of Piztala. "Like it?"

She turned around and kissed him, a gesture he enthusiastically returned. "Let me dig up a sweater, it's so cold."

He waited, and after a few moments Iris was unable to find something she liked, and he leaned up against her back. "I've got a sweater, wear that. It looks good on you."

Iris's bashful flush was incredibly satisfying. The two of them headed out into the windy weather after that, Iris enjoying the brazen animals that seemed to think they owned the road, and they did make their way to the lighthouse that marked the point and helped guide boats to the port or around into the Sathersea.

They stood together on the overlook, Iris's arm looped through his, her head tilted against his shoulder. "You've never been here?"

"Nope."

"I... I want to see everything with you," she said, her voice tentative and nervous, almost swallowed up by the wind.

"At your command, My Lady," he answered, voice half wry, but he hoped she could tell he meant it. He got a huffy shoulder butt for his troubles, and then two arms around his waist. "We can start here: Succarpe Lighthouse... freezing cold, you wrapped up in my Crownsguard coat, and you're just as beautiful as in the Altissian sun. Maybe cuter, your nose is turning red."

She squeaked, and then buried her nose against his chest, rubbing it to warm up, and Cor laughed as he brushed his fingers against her hair.

Dinner they spent in the rustic little restaurant attached to the hotel, Iris rubbing her chilled legs against his and sharing a rack of lamb, and then finally returned to their hotel room to make immediate use of the couch to make out.

They broke apart quickly, however, Iris perched straddling him and then she frowned down at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Just... realized tomorrow we'll be in Cartanica, and then two more days until Pagla."

"I thought you were excited to get to work on the treaty," he answered, his hands resting on her thighs. "You've been doing research back home for weeks, now you get to put it into practice."

"Yeah, but..." She frowned again, looking away toward the window. "Dad."

"Ah." Cor didn't have an easy answer to that.

"What if... what if he says you can't be with me?" Clearly this was something that had been bothering her for some time, even if she hadn't brought it up before now.

It wasn't an easy answer. Cor would have liked to just say: 'I don't care' but the truth was that Clarus, and his opinion of Cor, mattered to him quite a lot. Iris wasn't wrong to wonder what would happen if Cor was forced to choose between the two of them. "I convince him otherwise. Iris your father... we've been friends for years, and that's going to be the problem, but that also means he knows I won't play games with you. I'm not just giving up on us if your father tells me no."

"Okay," she said, her eyes still concerned.

"I respect him, but ultimately this is between you and me, right?"

"Yeah." She took a deep breath, pressing her forehead to Cor's shoulder and she exhaled slowly.

"Regis making me look at my feelings for you is probably one of the best things that's ever happened to me in my life." That might have been an overstatement, there were many things in his life that made him happy, but right now... with Iris, there was no question how wonderful she made him feel. "I didn't earn myself an incredibly ridiculous nickname by giving up at the first opposition."

He knew he was talking a good game, but the truth was he was terrified of what Clarus was going to say, how he would react to them as a couple, and whether he would withhold is approval or perhaps even outright forbid them... Cor knew he was too old for Iris, he knew she would be better served by a younger and likely more politically advantageous boyfriend, but he was powerless to ignore that he did care for her and did enjoy her company far too much. There was also the very real fact that Iris wanted him, no matter how much Cor might think she could do better.

"Now, let's leave that problem for a few days, tonight... I'm going to enjoy a warm bed that I can actually stretch out in."

She chuckled, and the two of them went back to their evenings, Iris finally settling in to use Cor's head as a pillow while she played some game on her phone. Cor was able to get some time in on reading a military biography he'd been wanting to read, and was only too happy to read and distract himself every few minutes by running his thumb along Iris's lips and receiving a happy kiss before returning to reading.

When evening finally came in earnest, he changed and Iris did the same, and he was almost disappointed when Iris didn't snuggle right up to his side. Eventually he reached his hand out and Iris responded by using it like a teddy bear before he heard her breathing even out and he relaxed a bit.

He turned towards her, watching her hair and face lightly illuminated by the moon, and he smiled. Cor had no idea how he'd gotten lucky enough for a gorgeous, thoughtful, and brilliant woman to look at him and see someone she wanted, but he didn't want to waste it.

Sometimes he wondered at pet names or something to call her, but ultimately it just boiled down to one thing: Iris. He smiled at her, brushed a strand of hair from her face, and then settled back to get to sleep.

Rough hands on his chest woke him later, and he had his sword in hand before his eyes were fully open. When he sat up he accidentally shoved into Iris, causing her to tumble backward. He sent his sword away, and Iris righted herself against him, her hands pressed to his chest. When he reached out again he found her, she grabbed him, breath shaky. 

"Iris?" he asked.

His hands found her back and Cor discovered she was freezing, body wet with sweat, and when he reached up to her face he found her similarly clammy.

"Cor, Six, I..." She gasped for air, grabbed at him.

"What's wrong?" He looked around the room but nothing seemed out of place. His eyes were slowly adjusting to the low light that trickled in through the window, no one else was there.

"I couldn't hear you breathing. I thought... I... I thought..."

He closed his eyes and exhaled, cursing himself. "I'm right here," he assured her. "Alive and well."

A little sob came from her, and Cor yanked her forward to pull onto his lap and wrap his arms around her.

"I've got you," he promised. "Here."

He reached to find her hand and brought it to his chest, he pulled it tight to him, hoping she could feel his heart there.

"Can you feel that?" His heart was still hammering from being woken up in the dead of night, and no doubt Iris would be able to feel that as she calmed.

"Y-yeah." She leaned in, her head on his shoulder, and he heard her cry again. "I'm sorry."

"No," he said, his free hand finding her back and rubbing soothing circles there. "Nothing to be sorry for." He was the one who planted that worry in her mind barely more than a month ago. He was the one who had nearly died in her arms, blood gushing over her hands. In retrospect he was more surprised he _hadn't_ woken to her in a cold sweat before. "I'm here now."

He hugged her towards him and made a quick stumble to the bathroom, Iris hanging around his neck, still shaking. He grabbed a towel with one hand before he finally got her back to the bed and set her down gently on the edge. He flicked on the light and began to rub at her forehead, dabbing away the sweat, and then he continued to pat down her neck and shoulders.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm not used to the idea of someone missing me if I were gone."

Iris looked up at him, eyes still wet, but she gave him a weak smile in response. He pressed the cloth to the corners of her eyes and she closed them, letting him wipe away the tears. "I'd miss you," she whispered.

It took several minutes to dry off her face and back, and it was hard to even appreciate the little thrill as Iris stripped her camisole and traded it for another.

"Alright..." He settled back into bed after that, Iris joining him. "Hmm... Swap."

They switched sides after that, Iris on his left and he on her right. Not their usual, but it would do. After a few moments to get the lights and pull the covers up, Cor gently moved her head and placed her ear against his chest just above his heart.

"Can you hear me?"

"Yeah...," she answered, voice soft. She settled in, making the position more comfortable, and Cor wrapped his arm around her.

"Iris, I..." He closed his eyes against the hurt he must have caused her. "I'm sorry... at that moment, all I could think of was making sure you were safe. Even then, I couldn't bear the thought of losing you if I could prevent it..."

"How... do you think I felt?" she asked. He heard her voice tremble. "I had to sit there... I felt your life beating out through my fingers... Do you know how much I cared about you? I barely left your bedside. I kept thinking... how much I would die inside if a man I... I... I lo- _love_ died because of me?"

No doubt she could hear his heart hammering, could hear it quicken under her ear... "Iris..."

"You don't have to--"

He brought her close, tugging her and bringing her atop him so he could kiss her, his fingers threaded through her still-damp hair. "Iris, I... Do you know how rare it is for someone so... set in his ways, so used to not thinking about love or family...? I didn't even realize how I felt until Regis smacked me about the head, literally. I had a split second to make a decision, my life or yours, and there was no hesitation."

"I wish you hesitated," she whispered.

"I'm glad I didn't." He cupped her face, pulled her in again and kissed her softly. "I was laying there, helpless, while he threatened your life and all I could give you was a damn dagger. I loved you then, too, I just didn't realize it."

She laughed and cried in one sound, and Cor let her laugh and cry into his shoulder, rubbing his hands down her back and over her shoulder, warming her from the chill of sweat and the night air.

"Get some sleep, Iris... Love. We have a busy day tomorrow."

Iris eventually stopped crying, getting over the immediate night terror and the emotion of the moment, and she settled back at his side, her head at his heart, and Cor grabbed the covers and pulled them over both of them and wrapped Iris up in his arms.

"Better?" he asked when he'd settled in.

She nodded. "Thanks... it's stupid but..."

"It's not," he answered. "I've lost people... I think it's a very reasonable fear. I'm already afraid of losing you."

He felt a few drops on his bare chest, and he let his hands continue to trail up and down Iris's back, soothing her as best he could and waiting for her to fall asleep again before he let himself drift off.

The morning broke cold and chilly, but Iris woke him with a kiss and a steaming pot of tea with some toast, eggs, and jam. They shared a quick morning meal and made their way to the train station, settling in to a pair of facing seats, and after a few moments, Iris plopped her feet on his legs and he laughed, rubbing at her ankles.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. It never hit me that hard before, sometimes I'd wake up and wonder where the blood was." She held out her hands, obviously meaning his own or Drautos's. "But I'm usually able to be like: 'back up, Iris, it's not real'."

He didn't want her to feel bad about it. He'd known plenty of soldiers, good ones, who had taken a long time to get over a death or some event on the field. Hell, that exhibit in Altissia had blindsided him and it had been over thirty years. "It happens, it's natural. It's... your mind working it all out."

They went back to talking about less fraught topics. They'd be traveling along the coast of the Sathersea until they got to Cartanica and then...

"What do you know about Cartanica?" she asked after the train had gotten underway.

"It's hot, and a little dry. They have a lot of mining in town, production, that sort of thing. It's pretty dull, but they have motels and that's about all you can ask for, after that we'll stay in the port of Piztala, and then the next leg takes us to Palga Crater and the natural wonder and beauty of... peace talks."

"I sort of wondered why the talks weren't taking place in Tenebrae," Iris said a few moments later. "Dad said it was because the Tenebrae government wants to keep some neutrality and they're worried about Lord Ravus being prosecuted for the execution of the emperor."

"Like anyone would try him," Cor answered with a chuckle. "Palga is beautiful, although Tenebrae is more so."

"It's a vaguely inland lake made by a crater, right?"

He nodded. "It's actually more of a... camp. It's hard to describe. Not a camp ground like for trailers and tents, but there's huge swaths of beautiful cabins, fishing, sailing... that sort of thing."

"That sounds nice." She closed her eyes, likely thinking of the way there. "So Cartanica, Piztala is a port town so... fish?"

"I think? I don't know actually. I think it's pretty lonely in the middle of coastal nowhere."

"Mmm... Will you go swimming with me, Marshal?" she asked.

"The water's near freezing!" he complained. "But... they have suits and things you can wear to help. You're covered from head to toe and you can sort of float and look under water. I'm sure we can find something."

"We'll also probably be spending time with dad and Gladdy," she continued. "At least I hope so..."

Not spending time with the Amicitia family would mean that Clarus was being stubborn about them. "I hope so, too."

They spent a lazy day on the train, Cor reading, Iris reading, and then the two of them looking out the windows together, grabbing meals in the dining car... and then an evening in Cartanica. Apparently the place was a sloppy burgers sort of place, a bit of a disappointment after last night's lamb, but Iris took it in just as good stride and happily offered Cor fries and nipped at his fingers when he did the same.

The evening was spent in a crappy motel with uncomfortable beds, but Iris didn't complain, just happily curled up with him and drifted off.

Piztala was somehow worse and better all at once, they were in a tiny little boarding house room with too little heat after a meal of rehydrated dried fish - a delicacy Cor could have gone his entire life not tasting - in a tiny bed crammed together. The benefit was Iris spent the entire night with her body pressed tight to his all the way down, the down side was her feet were damn cold, so he found himself awoken to ice blocks rubbing against his calves to get warm.

They arrived at Palga around lunch time, disembarking and finding Gladio waiting for them with a huge grin on his face.

"Gladdy!" Iris ran up to him and grabbed him for a hug and her brother spun her around at least a half dozen times before setting her down.

"Iris, hey! How was the trip?" 

"Not bad," she answered. "A little spotty on the accommodations but it was still pretty nice. Man it's so... brisk, it's great!"

"Wind off the lake, yeah," he agreed. "Great for morning runs. You in?"

"Aww yeah! I've gotta get back into running, stay in shape, yaknow?" How a five and a fraction foot tall woman and a six and a half foot man could run together, Cor was left to wonder.

He didn't have long to ponder, however, because that was about the time Gladio caught Iris's left arm in his hand and tilted her arm to examine Cor's bracelet. "This the reason you want to stay in shape?" he asked.

Iris's flush made the answer obvious. "Maybe!" 

"Man, this is a nice piece," Gladio remarked, taking a moment to look at the workmanship. "Looks partially custom and very you."

"It is both of those things," Iris agreed. "Volcanic blooms."

"Like this guy already. It is a guy, right? Could be a girl, I don't care. Funny? Smart? Good looking? Great in bed?"

"A guy, and yes, he's all those things... dunno about the last one, but otherwise yeah. Now leave it alone. I'll introduce you later," she answered. "I want to go find dad, um..." She turned back toward Cor where he was casually waiting with the luggage, an amused smile on his lips.

"I'll get the bags," he assured her. Iris gave him her brilliant smile and then waved, turning away to blaze into the diplomatic area.

"So... Cor." Gladio stepped over to him and fixed him with a firm gaze.

"Hmm?" he answered, trying to appear bland.

"You know the boy?" he asked. "Iris's boy." In case there needed to be any clarification.

"I do," he affirmed, and then hoisted the luggage over both shoulders and followed after Gladio, who had suddenly transformed into something of a puppy.

"So... Crownsguard probably," Gladio deduced. "You like him?"

"Most days."

"A little mouthy... Insubordination write ups?"

"Not recently," he answered, almost snorting at his own answer.

"Nah, that's fine," Gladio concluded after that. "Well, it's fine, I can beat the shit out of the guy if he breaks her heart."

"Evidence suggests otherwise," Cor answered, taking the turn Gladio pointed and heading to a small cart that seemed to be Gladio's transportation.

"Well, come on, the only person in the Crownsguard I can't beat is..." Gladio paused, and looked over to where Cor was sitting in the passenger seat. He then glanced over to Gladio and waited. "You're... really?"

Cor shrugged and gave a little nod. "Yes, about a month."

Gladio gritted his jaw and Cor waited for the outburst. "You better not have taken advantage of that attack to--"

Cor held up his hand. "There were feelings on both sides before that. I didn't notice at first, but she spent most of our time in Altissia flirting with me and taking me on dates."

"How can you not notice a date? And I thought Noct could be dense." Gladio shook his head and continued to drive his little cart around the dozens of beautiful cabins and lodges that circumscribed Lake Palga. "You serious about her?"

"Yes."

"Alright," Gladio answered. "I want you to know I'm pretty upset about the fact I probably can't kick your ass..."

"Don't worry," he answered, chuckling just a bit. "I'll kick my own ass if I hurt her."

"Damn, you..." Gladio looked over to him again. "For real?"

"Yes. Is it so hard to imagine I care for her?"

"Yeah, actually," he answered. "You're so... you better treat her right, you know, like a princess."

Cor chuckled and leaned back in his seat, kicking up his legs as he watched the lake fly by. "I try," he answered.

"You gonna be... um... spending the night?" Gladio asked, an intense awkwardness falling over the cart.

"I was going to leave that up to Clarus," Cor answered, frowning. "For now, I'll take my own accommodations." He didn't really want to think about that in detail, the possibility that Clarus would by unhappy still lingered.

"That's fine, we had a room set aside for you anyway, it's just... a ways away from our cabin, so..." Gladio left the difficulty of a late night rendezvous unspoken.

"It's fine." Cor felt his frown deepen though. He'd grown use to Iris by his side, snuggled up with him as he slept. That was just something that would need to be suffered through, he supposed.

"Here's where we're staying," Gladio said, stopping in front of one of the nicer looking cabins, and Cor grabbed Iris's bag, shouldered it, and followed after Gladio.

They entered into a small, cozy living area with a pair of sofas and an unlit fireplace. It looked comfortable and romantic, and Cor smiled just a fraction at that. A quick step into the house proper and they came to a kitchen and dining area with a stairway heading up to the second floor.

"Marshal!" Velouria Amicitia greeted him with a warm smile. Iris and Gladio's mother was setting out what looked to be several vegetables in preparation for something that might have been a stew. She finished up with that in an instant, however, rinsing her hands and heading toward Cor.

"Velouria." He placed Iris's bag down and then took the offered hug from her. "How are you enjoying blustery Palga?"

"Oh, it's been wonderful, missing my little girl, but I'm sure she'll be here soon."

"I think she's looking for Clarus," Cor answered. He nudged Iris's bag out of the line of traffic and then leaned against the center island.

Another quick glance took in much of the scene. Fishing lines and tackle rested at the back door, papers that likely concerned the treaty were neatly piled on the table along with a pair of glasses.

"Ignis and Noct?" Cor asked.

"They're staying here," Gladio answered. "Noct for practical safety concerns."

The exact reason for Ignis's presence remained unspoken, but the light flush on Gladio's cheeks told the rest of the story. Cor had known Ignis and Gladio had been seeing each other for some time, but it appeared that the actual _Telling Clarus_ had happened successfully. Gladio's question of whether or not Iris would be spending the night even made a bit more sense after that.

"Frustrated to not get to get to use all your Coleman stuff?" Cor asked with a chuckle.

"What's the point of calling it a _camp_ if you're not using a camp stove?" Gladio fumed in response.

"I'm sure Clarus would love to have you," Velouria assured Cor a few moments later. "But with Iris moving in we're out of beds."

"Understandable," Cor answered, trying not to let it sting that Ignis was apparently welcome and Cor somehow doubted he would be afforded the same--

The door slammed open, enough to startle Cor and Gladio both, and the men spun, hands ready to go to weapons. When Clarus rounded into the kitchen, Gladio relaxed, but Cor remained on alert.

"What the _hells_ is wrong with you?" Clarus greeted him, all his usual calm composure gone, his eyes angrier than Cor could remember ever seeing him. The fury couldn't even compare to when he'd come back from the Trials, bloody and near broken...

"Dad!" Iris shouted after him, her hand coming to his shoulder and holding tight. "Dad, please. It's--"

"I _trusted_ you," Clarus continued, ignoring Iris and coming into Cor's space, staring him down.

"Clarus!" It was Velouria who interposed herself then, coming in between Cor and Clarus, her hand on her husband's chest. "What on Eos?"

"This--" Clarus fumed, his fist balled in anger at his side, and Cor waited out the storm. "Out. I don't want to see you here. You stay the hells away from my daughter."

He glanced over to where Iris was standing at Clarus's side, her hands on his arm, holding loosely. She looked at him, her eyes brimming over with tears, ready to cry. Cor was familiar with Clarus's bouts of anger and frustration, it would take time for him to cool. He was a smart man, however angry he didn't make choices then, but for now... Cor placed a hand over his heart and nodded to Iris, only for Clarus to interject his body between the two of them.

"Out."

Cor turned and headed back to the cart, grabbed his own bag, and made his way in the direction of the Crownsguard cabins. It took him several minutes of wandering before one of the Crownsguard was able to direct him to his accommodations - a small, almost cell like room in a cabin with a large common area. He didn't unpack, but he did pull out a few things he'd need for the next few days.

That task finished, he headed down to the lakefront and made himself comfortable on one of the chairs that looked out over the water. A chill came off the lake in waves, and Cor found himself shivering as he reflected. Somehow Clarus's reaction had been worse than Cor would have imagined. He'd known that Clarus wouldn't be thrilled, he'd even expected Clarus might be angry, but the level had startled even Cor.

"Hey, Marshal."

Cor glanced up to find Gladio standing there, hands in his pockets, looking a bit put out himself. "Gladio."

"Can I...?" He gestured to the seat next to Cor, and Cor spread his hand in welcome.

"Clarus still mad?" Cor asked, after Gladio had made himself comfortable.

"Oh yeah...." Gladio sighed. "Mom talked him down a bit, but she was pretty surprised herself, so she's still taking it in. I mean hells, I'm surprised, but for me the most important thing is she's happy and you're a nice guy. I talked to her some after, and you two seem... sweet."

"Thank you." Cor added his own sigh and ran his hands down his thighs and over his knees. "I knew Clarus wasn't going to be happy, but..."

"Dad set her to work, probably trying to keep her busy." Gladio frowned again. "It's just crazy, I thought he was going to _flip_ when I told him about me and Iggy, but he mostly didn't care. His main worry was that Iris would have to have kids if I wasn't and... yeah."

Cor snorted. He and Iris actually hadn't talked about kids, although Cor supposed that made sense. They would need to discuss it.

"Hadn't thought much about kids," he admitted, leaning back into his chair. "Wouldn't mind, but I'd hate for Iris to think she had to have them younger than she wanted to because of me. I'm almost fifty."

"Yeah..." Gladio looked over at him, frowning.

"We've talked about it a little," Cor continued. "I know it's a mess, but I do love her."

Now Gladio was smiling, and he reached over and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "For me that's all that matters," Gladio answered. "If I get to be with a guy I love and to hells with the consequences, then Iris gets that too. Simple as that."

"Thank you, Gladio. It... means a lot, even if Clarus is still upset. Regis was far too good at making me forget about the consequences for a few weeks, and I was happy to, but... now I have to deal with the rest of it."

"Re--? The King?"

"You know another Regis?"

"He's... he knows about you two?"

Cor snorted. "The man practically shoved me at her. Like I said, I didn't even realize she was flirting with me until he mentioned it."

"Damn... Iris didn't say. Maybe Dad'd..."

Cor shook his head. "I'm not going to fall back on Regis's permission. I'll just need to convince Clarus to give me a chance to prove myself. Simple as that."

"Me and Iggy are pulling for ya. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you, Gladio. Right now, I think she just needs to know that someone else doesn't hate the two of us together. She knew it would be rough, but I don't think she expected it to be quite that rough."

"Got it. Best big bro to the rescue."

Cor nodded his thanks again. At least one member of the Amicitia family didn't want to strangle him.

The rest of his day he spent getting a handle on what the various Crownsguard had been up to in his absence. Monica and Dusin were also in their little Crownsguard cabin, and she and Cor enjoyed a nice afternoon report, Cor trying to get a handle on where he would be needed.

It was well past sundown when a gentle knock came on the door, and when Dustin opened it he found Iris there, face a touch red, her bag at her side. Cor looked over to her and frowned, but he did walk over to where he was waiting, held out his arms, and pulled her in tight when she fell on him.

"I was alright with him just being a grump," Iris said, minutes later, after she had pulled back. "But I'm not going to listen to him badmouth you all evening."

"You don't have to," Cor insisted. "I'm a grown man, I can deal with your father not liking us being together."

"And I'm an adult, too," Iris answered. "I can tell my dad to piss off if he's being unreasonable."

"Alright." He gave her a gentle tug to the couch and sat down with her, wrapping her up in one arm and holding her close. "I warn you, we're back to seabound boat accommodations."

"Means I get to snuggle," she assured him.

"Ah... Sir?" Cor looked up to where Monica was standing. "My room has a larger bed if you'd like to swap."

"It's not necessary, Lieutenant," Cor assured her. "Thank you."

"Take the damn bed... Sir."

Iris snorted, laughing into Cor's chest for a moment. "Take the damn bed, Cor. At least let me help you get moved though, Monica."

"Of course, Lady Iris."

A few of the men settled in to give Cor odd looks, but it was Dustin who finally asked: "How long have you two been together, Sir?"

"A little under two months," Cor answered. "A little back and forth before then..."

One of the younger recruits, Michelle, gave a little laugh. "You two were quite cute at the Armistice Party," she added. "I had a bet with Elise that you two were already together. Guess I owe her a meal."

"Sorry to lose you a bet," Cor said with a little smile. "No, we didn't start dating until after Altissia."

Michelle snapped her fingers as though to say 'damn it', but she seemed to take it in good stride. "Well, jokes on her, she said I was crazy for thinking you two might be together at all."

It seemed that a small portion of the Crownsguard had been pulling for him and Iris for... well, months, far longer than the two of them had been dating.

"Just seems like an odd pair to pull for," he admitted, watching as Iris helped Monica move her bags and the two of them dumped sheets into the washroom.

"Must have seen how I looked at you," Iris answered by way of comment as she walked behind him, pressing a hand to his chest from behind and then adding a kiss to his forehead before wandering past.

"Lady Iris is correct," Michelle said with a laugh. "And how the Marshal looked at you. The man must not have a mirror."

The topic of Cor being an absolute idiot about women was then destined to become the topic of conversation for the entire evening, with his subordinates playfully roasting him while Iris absolutely laughed her ass off. Cor sat through it all, a grumpy frown on his face, but his fingers played with Iris's hair and he could hardly claim he was upset.

"So is your dad going to drag me out of bed in the middle of the night?" he asked as the two of them readied for bed after laughter and wine had been on the menu.

"I don't think so..." Iris sighed and shook her head. "Mom basically told him he was being an ass, which didn't change his mind, just meant he's probably not going to try to just forbid us from seeing each other. He's a tactician, though. I'm sure he'll think of something."

As it turned out 'something' was perpetually having Cor assigned to the most unenviable of perimeter details as far away from the treaty deliberations as possible while Iris was in the thick of those negotiations.

The next evening also found Cor and Iris together on a couch by the fire with various Crownsguard 'just stopping by' throughout the evening.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled into her hair after the seventh person who was 'just reporting in' (to gawk at Cor snuggling up with Iris).

"It's fine," she assured him. "I like it... maybe a few even approve of us, it might help push dad's opinion... I hope."

Cor thought that was incredibly generous, but he wasn't going to argue with Iris's hope.

*

Nothing changed.

The first week of Cor's time in Palga with Iris largely consisted of the ten or so hours he was 'allowed' to have Iris, largely revolving around an evening snuggle and sleeping, and the other fourteen where Clarus seemed bound and determined to keep Iris away from him, hopping to take care of political tasks that did legitimately need to be taken care of, but ultimately could have been left to others.

Clarus was, generally speaking, a reasonable, compassionate, and well liked Captain. Cor enjoyed a similar reputation (although usually considered slightly less compassionate and a touch more reasonable). This meant that as far as the Crownsguard rank and file were concerned, an argument between the Captain and the Marshal was something that demanded that battle lines not be drawn and sides not taken. Two well-liked and well-respected commanders having it out with each other was grounds to avoid the whole thing and hope it blew over...

Until the day that would forever go down in someone's book as the cause of the Great Crownsguard Mutiny of M.E. 759.

The first state dinner that the Amicitia family was to attend after Iris arrived in Pagla had Clarus requesting seating for five: himself, Lady Amiticia, Gladio, Iris,... and Ignis. Ignis was well liked, of course, and no one wanted the man disincluded, but the blatant snub to Cor was a bit too far for a well-bred portion of the Crownsguard whose general response was: 'well you don't have to be fucking rude about it'.

Low-born though he was, Cor was well-liked; he'd earned his reputation over decades, and where Clarus was unwilling to hear it, a portion of the Crownsguard were willing to take Cor's character and decide that - odd as it was - he and Lady Iris were a dating couple and deserved acknowledgement on the topic.

The end result was that Monica insisted on Cor coming as her plus one, and then the dratted seating planners _somehow_ got things mixed up and the Marshal was forced to sit at the Amicitia's table: 'you don't mind, do you Marshal?'

Cor just hoped Clarus didn't have an aneurysm.

From that day on, it seemed that every day one of the Crownsguard who was supposed to be posted at the treaty summit was sick, necessitating that Cor take over and it was strange but it seemed almost half the days the person calling out was responsible for personal security of the delegates.

He and Iris were hardly blatant, but he could admit that now that he and Iris had started dating there was something thrilling about getting to see her and even just be near her. The little smiles she offered just for him were almost better balm for a long and weary day than the late night kisses.

As promised, she wore his courtship gift daily, and seeing the slim bracelet on her wrist was a reminder that as much as Clarus might be trying to keep them apart, Iris was determined to keep them together.

"Who called out today?" Clarus asked, tone irritated.

"Lieutenant Wills," Cor answered. It was never the same person, no one was that stupid, but it was always someone.

That evening, Iris returned to his cabin and sat next to him, snuggling up and taking the time to explore his lips with gentle kisses. "Dad's annoyed, but he kinda earned it by being an ass. Mom keeps telling him 'this is how you lose a daughter', at least that's what Gladdy tells me gets said in the evenings, but..."

"Despite all this, he is still a man I care for deeply," Cor answered, his fingers brushing her hair. "We've been friends for decades, and I hope, eventually, he'll... realize that I love you and want you to be happy. I don't even know why he's so damn upset; there's plenty of reasons: I'm too old for you, I'm not high enough stationed, I'm a workaholic grump..."

"To be honest?" Iris said, tilting a little bit so she could look him in the eye. "I think the reason is... you're Cor. You're his friend, he's known you for years, and... mom says he's just feeling betrayed, I guess."

Cor closed his eyes against the idea, even if he knew it was fairly reasonable. "I didn't mean to--"

"Cor." She hushed him. "Dad's being unreasonable. Like this is the guy who was all 'as long as you're happy' about Gladdy and Ignis, and he's always on and on and on about how I don't need to be unhappy in an arranged marriage, but as soon as I get a boyfriend he's going to be picky... Sometime, eventually, he'll just realize we're actually good for each other."

Cor wished he could have that faith, but he was worried that Clarus would withhold his approval... well, forever. "You do realize we're... we've got a lot to sort out, and a lot of little issues, right?"

"I know," she answered. "I know, but..." She sighed, sounding hopeless.

"Your brother may have reminded me of a particularly reasonable concern about... well, the Amicitia family line continuing," he flushed. They might have been sharing a bed, but their relationship had remained quite tame by comparison. In truth, Cor didn't want to think about looking Clarus in the eye the next day... an odd thing to worry about, but it was there.

"Oh." Iris frowned. "Do you not want kids?"

"Never gave it much thought," he admitted. "You'll be busy with everything after the treaty's sighed, I don't want you to have kids you're not ready for just because I'm older."

"I'm not saying we should have kids right now, but... the next few years? I wouldn't mind at all. Before all this blew up dad was crazy about grand babies, mom too." She laughed and tickled at his stomach, even though she knew he wasn't ticklish. "Give it some thought," she said with an amused little smile.

It took almost a week for the Crownsguard mutiny to finally yield a change. The day began like any other weekend, Iris woke up at six in the morning and woke him up with a kiss. The two of them lazily relaxed in each others arms before Iris headed out for her morning run with her brother. Cor lounged in for another half hour before he got up, washed up a bit, and then began the task of making Iris breakfast.

Cor didn't know why, but he could admit he felt some small degree of competitiveness with Ignis, of all people. He knew why, in some way he was competing with the man to earn as position as 'son in law'... of course he also knew it didn't work that way. Still, he got to work on a local dish, shakshuka, that was a pile of tomatoes and eggs and spice that suited Iris's morning tastes just fine. Cor found it amusing how much it was like a morning hangover cure, after he got that simmering he went to work on the berries he'd picked up at the market.

"Practicing for house-husbandry, Leonis?" he asked himself, bemused, before a knock on the door interrupted his berry prep. When he opened the door he found Clarus standing there, looking... well less not amused than usual. "Clarus, morning."

"Cor."

Cor moved from the doorway and headed back to the kitchen, giving a nod towards the breakfast bar seating. This visit from Clarus marked the first time the man had deigned to seek out Cor for something that seemed to be a social visit since arriving in Palga outside of their initial bout of yelling.

"Look, I..."

Cor turned toward the man, waited, hoping this was some form of apology or acceptance or...

"You could have anyone," Clarus said, and he sounded pained. "She's eighteen, you're old enough to be her father."

"Clarus," Cor sighed. The worst part was he liked Clarus, they were... had been... friends. "I know. I know we're going to have difficulties, but I do love your daughter. I'm... I am sorry that it's made things awkward between us, I didn't mean to fall for her, but I did."

"Then why the hell did you... You never look twice at women and then you decide to date my _daughter_?"

Cor sighed. After a moment he turned away, fussing with the pan for Iris's breakfast for a moment before he returned to the berries. "She chased. I got caught. I told her she could do better, and she told me what's better than the man she wants?" Cor scrubbed the berries and then neatly arranged them in a bowl. "I'm not sorry for getting caught."

That was about the time that Iris opened the front door, still panting from her run. "Hey C... dad?" She looked between the two of them, no doubt saw the grim look on both their faces. "I'm gonna go wash up."

She disappeared into their room after that and then headed toward the shower and got to work. Cor fiddled with the rest of the breakfast preparation, and neatly set a place at the bar for Iris to eat.

"Cor, please...," Clarus begged, his hand at his temple. "Just..."

"What do you want me to do? Fall out of love?" Cor shook his head. "Clarus, just... you need to get over it. Maybe it's forever, maybe it'll flare and fade. I don't know, but right now I'm in love with your daughter, and she's in love with me."

Iris returned, hair still dripping a bit, and Cor set the little pile of tomato-y spicy eggy goodness in front of her, placing the little cup of berries down next to it. "Tea?"

She nodded. Cor went to work on that. Clarus seemed to have nothing to add for a long moment, so Iris began to dig in before making a blissfully happy noise. "Super good."

"Glad you like it. It's pretty easy, actually."

"You're also a good cook," Iris answered.

"All those years of bachelor training finally paid off."

Clarus cleared his throat and Iris glanced over to him. "Iris, I'm going to have you entertain Lord Loqi Tummelt for his visit to Palga."

The clatter of her fork on her plate rent the quiet weekend morning kitchen.

"Let me guess," Iris said, voice fiery. "He's attractive and about my age and marriageable."

Clarus made some sort of expression that seemed to say 'well of course', and Cor hadn't felt the urge to punch Clarus quite this bad in at least a decade. Ultimately, Cor knew it wouldn't work; even if this Loqi fellow was brilliant and handsome and good enough for her, the mere fact that her dad was shoving them together would have spelled the Lord's doom.

"Fine," she said, although it was clear that her agreement was under duress. "I'll entertain him."

Clarus seemed to consider that good enough, nodded, and left. Iris looked over at Cor, her eyes furious.

"How can you just take that?" she whispered to him.

"Because he wants what's best for you," he answered, coming up behind her to hug her around the shoulders. "He's wrong, but I understand. I love you, I want what's best for you, too... but at least you've convinced me that that's me. He's my friend. He'll get over it someday... I hope."

Iris blinked away some tears and looked back down to her food. "I'm not really hungry now. It... it was really good, though."

"Maybe later," he offered, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Maybe later."

*

The first think Cor noted about Loqi of House Tummelt was that he was... tiny. He barely had two inches on Iris, and if she wore high heels she truly towered over him. It was a little unfair for Cor to find it humorous, but he had to admit he did. The second thing he soon learned about Loqi was that he considered himself Cor's rival. How and why this came about, Cor was unable to determine without actually gracing the man with the attention he seemed to desperately crave.

Other than that, Cor could admit the Lord was attractive and seemed to be at least a little intelligent. 

Clarus, much to Cor's consternation, seemed to make it his mission to get Iris and Loqi out on as many facsimiles of dates as he could. Iris would arrived at his place later and later, and although she wasn't upset or angry she certainly wasn't happy. Loqi at least was a gentleman, and hadn't made any unwelcome advances, but it was clear that Clarus was trying to jam the two together.

"I mean I guess on paper he's not terrible," Iris said, annoyed, as Cor gently worked the braids she'd done her hair in for the day. Afterward, he brushed her hair back into a more natural state. "He's cute, he's rich..."

A tiny little worry began to burrow into his chest.

"He's so _boring_ to talk to and all he wants to do is show off Niff tech." The burrowing worry fled. "I think he wants to duel you."

"For your honor?" he asked, amused, fingers fluffing her hair a bit and then burying his nose there for a moment to take in the smell of her.

"No, he just wants to duel you. Apparently you've personally broken three of his mechs."

Cor snickered. "He's lucky I didn't break him if we were on the field. Well, if the gauntlet is thrown I will happily duel him. Somehow I doubt this will win your father's approval, however."

She grumbled, and then began her mission to wriggle around so she could lay face to face with him and then shove him down on the bed to press herself against him. "It's been almost three weeks... he still hasn't budged."

"I know."

"I'm just so mad at him," she said. "And he's using Loqi to put in the crossfire even though he barely even knows it. I don't know if he thinks we're going to be courting or something, and he might be a dumb ass but he's not a bad guy. And then I get home and I'm just so angry, and it's not your fault but I just want to scream."

Cor squeezed her close. "Scream if you need to."

As it turned out, Iris instead started to cry, unhappy tears and impotently balled fists falling on his shoulders as she sobbed out the unfairness of Clarus's behavior. Finally the tears dried out and she leaned back, sliding up his body and straddling him as he laid prone. "You still... do you still want to be with me?"

He closed his eyes and after a brief moment he lunged forward, dragging her into his arms once more. "Iris, yes. I wish we had more time, but... if anything it makes me realize how much I miss you when you're gone. It makes curling up with you at night and waking up to the sun lighting up your skin worthwhile."

She gave him a warm smile, and then Cor waited as Iris looked at him, the two of them sitting on their bed, her eyes searching for something in his. His fingers brushed against her jaw and then trailed down to her throat, and Iris tilted her head to encourage him to continue along her neck and shoulder.

A soft giggle came as his beard tickled at her throat, and then after that she gently nudged him backwards. Cor leaned back on the bed with a graceless flop and then looked up at her, noting the shy smile and reveling in the pleasure of a beautiful woman looking down at him like he was everything she could ever need.

Her hands teased at the hem of his shirt, and then after a few more moments of reflection she slipped her hands under the fabric and let her fingers tease at his stomach. Cor waited for the few seconds for Iris to decide she wanted the shirt gone and he scrunched up to let her tug it free and then spent the next moments brushing her fingers along his chest. Iris spent her time by turns over-eager and very shy about their intimacy; it could be quite frustrating, and the cause of more than a few cold showers, but Cor was more than happy to wait for Iris as she grew more comfortable with their forays into discovering each other's bodies.

Tonight, however, she surprised him by leaning and shifting so she could press her lips to his chest, spending a moment to kiss her way along the scars and scrapes that littered his body and her fingers made their own tentative journey downward.

Cor gently reached down to her hair and teased the strands there, loosely touching. Iris continued her mapping of his chest, her lips or fingers pressing to every inch of his chest, and Cor lost himself in that. It was so easy to just... trust her, he couldn't explain it better than that, and he felt himself begin to grow hard for her.

He didn't know exactly when she noticed, but he felt her hand come down to his dick and start to palm him through his boxers as she continued to kiss at his chest.

"Iris...," he whispered her name, Six she was perfect, and enjoyably handsy at the moment. It was just uncoordinated touches, but his mind splitting between the lips at his stomach and the hand at his dick soon left him lost in the sensation.

Cor tilted his hips when Iris went to strip his boxers, and he soon found himself with his girlfriend spread at his knees, lips turned in an intent expression as she began to use both hands to stroke his dick. He wasn't certain it was possible to get any harder until she leaned forward, her lips close enough to his tip that he could feel her breath against him.

"Can I--?"

"Gods, yes," he choked out before she even finished the question.

"Oh..." She looked up at him and flushed. He reached out to touch across her brow, and her answer was a shy little smile before she turned back toward his dick and carefully opened her mouth and pressed her tongue to his tip.

Warm, wet pressure spread against his tip, and Cor groaned almost immediately, and then brought his free hand to his lips to stifle himself from making more noise. It had been far, far too long, and the fact that it was Iris with her messy dark hair and her perfect body who was going to drive him crazy with her mouth was what made it so, so much nicer.

She pulled away quickly and Cor tried not to voice his disappointment. "Give me your hands," she said, and Cor placed them near his sides for her. "I want to hear you. How will I know you're having fun?"

Six, she was going to kill him. She didn't actually take his hands, just went back to stroking him and her tongue returned to her tentative exploration of his tip. He brought one hand to her head, touching her hair, fingers carding through it and holding her very loosely, not pushing her in or away, just leaving his hand as a presence against her.

His other hand he left at his side in a balled fist as he still struggled to keep some of his composure. Cor could barely keep up with Iris's exploration, she'd flatten her tongue against him and then gently suck his head, slowly she grew more bold and took more of him in her mouth, and Cor got more and more of the wet, warm mouth on him and he didn't get louder but he did give Iris breathy noises of encouragement as she licked or touched.

When he looked down, he saw her huge brown eyes looking up at him, and when she met his eyes she gave him a questioning hum that just made him gasp and struggle not to thrust up into her mouth. Iris, of course, used this newfound knowledge to drive him even more to distraction as she took him as deep as she could and added another curious hum that---

"Iris," he gasped. "Not lasting much longer."

She pulled her mouth back, just sucking at his head again, hands holding him and stroking gently as he came closer and closer to the edge. His orgasm was met with a surprised sputter, but Iris quickly returned to lick him further and swallow down his release. She cleaned him with her tongue, licking away the last remnants of his pleasure and then sat back on her haunches with a self-satisfied smile.

It took him a few moments, sprawled relaxed and boneless, before he looked up at Iris and gave her a little smile. "Wonderful," he assured her. "Can I return the favor?"

A nervous smile followed, but she nodded just after, and Cor levered himself up and hooked his arms around her waist, using his size and strength to flip her onto her back so he could be atop her. He looked down at her, his hands spreading out her hair against the pillow and then he glanced down at her body.

"You're damn beautiful," he said with a chuckle. He reached to her own shirt and she raised her hands up and he pulled the shirt off to reveal a lacy black bra, and then he unhooked the clasp and zip of her skirt and peeled that down her legs. She was wearing black cotton panties, and Cor took a brief moment to admire her pale skin against the dark clothes.

He brought his fingers up to her throat, and ran his hands against her breasts, thumbing her nipples through the thin fabric and feeling them stiffen under his touch. He had a very brief moment to appreciate the front clasp on the bra, and then unhooked it, peeling the fabric away and allowing him to lean in and kiss at her breasts.

A happy little hum was his immediate reward, and the gasp that followed as he palmed her other breast made him smile into her skin. He then went down further, tickling with his beard and teeth against her belly as Iris warred between the urge to giggle and to moan. "Cor, stop teasing," she groaned eventually, but her voice held a laugh under the play frustration.

"No?" he asked, voice playful as he scooted down further and slowly bent one of her legs and began to kiss at her inner thigh. His lips trailed closer to her center, skating just to the edge of her panties before he took her other leg and began to give it the same treatment.

She was a mess by the time he reached her panties again, and this time when he pulled back, Iris canted her hips and then stretched her legs up, right in front of him above his head. Cor took a very distracted moment to marvel at the flexibility before he slipped the underwear up her legs in one smooth motion and left the fabric to fall on the bed beside them.

Iris returned to her relaxed position on the bed, legs slightly parted, and Cor ran his hands along her inner thighs and glanced up to see Iris looking at him, eyes shining. He brushed his fingers along her entrance, finding she was already very wet, he teased his fingers against her clit before he returned to kissing her thigh.

"Inside me," she panted. "Please, Cor..."

He adjusted his fingers and slipped two inside of her, his thumb returning to play at her nub. "Will you let me taste you?"

"Yeah," she gasped back right away, nodding, and she reached out for Cor to twine the fingers of one hand together.

He shimmied down to her opening, settling between her legs, glancing up to see her lost in the sensation before pushing his thumb to one side and replacing its attentions with his lips and tongue. She tasted... Six, he chased the taste of her, sliding his tongue along her entrance and licking against his fingers to taste her more.

The needy whimper that followed was all the encouragement he needed, fucking her on his fingers as his tongue slid against her opening. He felt her body chase the feeling of fullness, tensing against his fingers and he slipped another finger inside of her, curling his fingers up to drag across her inner walls.

He waited out the trembling squeeze of her orgasm and the lazy way she relaxed under his hand after, and when she seemed to come back down from her high he carefully withdrew his fingers and sucked them clean as he moved to lay at her side.

"You're good at that," she said, laughing a little, embarrassed to admit it.

"Glad you approve," he answered. "You taste amazing."

She flushed even more at that. "You too. I was worried... I might not like..." She nuzzled into his chest. "But it's great, I like it when you need me."

"I always need you." He placed his hand on her back and tugged her to lay against him. He was far more used to a furtive few minutes in a bunk on a front than he was to any grand, luxurious opportunity to voice his approval to what his lover was doing.

"I feel better," she said, finally. "I just get so worried that dad'll make you give up on us, and..."

"Iris." He grabbed her in both arms and pinned her tight. "I hope that we have a long, happy relationship ahead of us. Your dad's not an unreasonable man, he's just... having a moment of his emotions getting the better of him. We're both stubborn, but I like to think he'll budge first. Now stop making me think about your father," he laughed.

She laughed as well and then relaxed into her place beside him. "Please."

They stayed like that, feet teasing against each other, hands lazily touching bare skin.

"You're worth it," he said, finally, squeezing her close. "I..."

A simple I love you was almost easier, to say something more than that just laid the soul far more bare. He looked down to where Iris was pensively running a finger over the scar he'd gotten saving her life.

"I've never made time for another person the way I do for you," he said. "I've never wanted to until now. I... I'm not eager for an assignment to pull us apart again, but I know it will... and I know you're worth it."

She placed her head on his chest, likely listening to his heart, and he felt the wet drops of tears there, and a soft sniffle.

"Let's get ready for bed," he offered. Iris groaned and rolled off the bed toward the bathroom, they took a quick, scalding hot shower to wash away the remnants of her tears and their time together in bed. A soapy scrub rinsed away the worst of the day's cares and then she brushed her hair and teeth and he did the same before climbing into bed, closing their eyes, and drifting off to sleep.

The next morning he cooked her a post-run breakfast and steeled himself for Clarus's war on their relationship, round two... maybe round three. Cor wasn't certain.

*

By the second week of Loqi's presence in Palga, Cor was beginning to rethink the wisdom of constantly accepting the 'called in sick' excuses of the various Crownsguard. He could admit he was a touch jealous to see Iris at the former Brigadier General's side, but it was more that the man seemed to hold an intense personal animus for Cor that made it even more frustrating to be anywhere near the pair.

"I can only assume you a coward," he said, in his latest efforts to nudge Cor into snapping at him and accepting the man's demand for a duel.

Beside Loqi, Iris was standing with a look that said she would rather be absolutely anywhere by in the middle of what was going on.

"Assume what you will. I have no time to prove myself to you or anyone else," Cor answered. The General, in some ways, reminded Cor of himself when he was younger: mouthy, brash, and prone to going off half-cocked, but when Cor thought of his _younger_ self he meant fifteen years old, not the thirty or so that Loqi was.

"What the hells is his problem?" Cor asked later that evening, Iris relaxing on his thigh as he teased her hair.

"Wounded pride and unwillingness to let go of the war," Iris answered. She brought her hand up and clasped at his free hand, stretched out a bit awkwardly but seemingly enjoying the closeness. "It reminds me of what you said about learning to do something other than fighting, he just..." She sighed, and Cor watched her slight hurt expression, waiting for her to continue her thought. "He sees you as the embodiment of all of the Lucian war machine, and... he hasn't said it directly, but I'm pretty sure you killed his uncle."

"Ah." Cor didn't quite know what to say to that. He probably had. Even if he hadn't, the chance that he'd been on the field when it happened was fairly large. "Killing isn't supposed to be easy," he said, and he went back to playing with her hair, knowing he was doubtless talking to her as well as about himself. "But defending yourself, fighting for your life and freedom against an aggressor, I think that's the one that still lets you sleep at night and look yourself in the mirror in the morning."

"Most nights," Iris agreed.

"Still having trouble?"

"Some." She closed her eyes. "Nothing quite as bad as the night in Succarpe, but... every once in a while..."

Cor ran his fingers along her brow. "You can always wake me up if you need."

Her little smile told him she wouldn't, but was glad to hear him say it regardless.

"The funny thing?" she said. "Dad hates him. He's a little shit, despite his station he's got no manners..." She snickered. "I'm not going to test him, but I think dad might freak out even more if I did go for Loqi."

"Best not try him," Cor answered, although he knew she was joking. "So... how long is he going to make you continue with the farce?"

"Hopefully not long, but there's some other gaggle of lords coming in in the next few days so I'm sure he'll come up with someone else to throw at me." She frowned. "He's usually so smart, but instead he's just..."

"Smart men can do stupid things for love," Cor answered, walking his fingers along her forehead and nose before gently brushing them along her lips.

"Have I made you dumb?" she asked with a little laugh.

"I never said I was smart... just smart enough to know I loved you." He watched her face blossom into a huge smile, but the moment was interrupted by Monica and a few of the other Crownsguard opening the door and piling into the small cabin.

"Oh." Monica stopped at the common room entrance. "Sorry, Sir."

He shook his head in response. "Alright?"

"We were just looking for Willis to see if he wanted to hit the bar," she said. "Um... you and Lady Iris are welcome to join if you'd like."

Iris frowned a little, but she sat up and folded her legs under her, looking toward him. "You want to go?" she asked.

He nodded. It had been a damn long time since he'd spent an evening out with the guys. He didn't do it often for fear of causing the men to see him as _too_ friendly or personable, but he did like to kick back now and again.

"Go ahead," she said, nudging his shoulder. "I've got some reading to catch up on and plan a few projects. Have fun."

"You sure?" he asked.

"You'll have more fun if you don't have to worry about a Lady anyway."

Iris wasn't wrong. "Alright." He leaned in to press a kiss to her nose.

"Wake me up when you get home," she said after that, stretching for a moment and then rolled off of where her head was settled on her lap. "Have fun, guys."

It felt just a little strange, heading off to drinks without Iris, but at the same time he realized it was... nice. It was so long since the two of them had actually taken the time to do their own thing.

"Alright," he said. He stood, pressed a kiss to her lips, and then went to dig up his jacket and head out the door.

"Boys' night, Marshal?" Monica asked.

He shrugged. "Sure."

There were very few bars and other places to get drinks in Palga, oddly enough. The delegation had descended on a beautiful town, but it was generally a more sleepy and quiet affair that was well served by the half dozen available bars. Many of them were resoundingly overrun most nights, but a small group of Crownsguard had managed to grab a table and many others who didn't have seats circulated and laughed among the fellows.

"Still trouble with the in laws?" Monica asked when they'd gotten their drinks and Cor had done his officerly duty of bringing over a few pitchers of less mediocre beer for the Crownsguard table.

Cor shrugged. "Yeah, just Clarus, really. Gladio's been supportive, Ignis too. Velouria hasn't been taking a side much, but definitely isn't supporting the anti-boyfriend campaign."

"I saw Lady Iris has assigned to escort General Loqi..."

Cor sighed. "Let's..." He shook his head, and Monica took the instruction and nodded.

He spent the rest of the evening in a fairly contented state of buzzed, enjoying the presence of his men and the opportunity to more casually check in on them. When he was on duty, there was always the title and distance, he knew he was an older brother or father to many of the men and women, but for a few hours he allowed himself to be a friend of sorts.

A few asked after 'Lady Iris' and Cor took his good natured ribbing about his month of social absence. It was friendly and comfortable and Cor had missed it.

When he returned back to the cabin, he rinsed off and climbed into bed, brushing a hand down Iris's spine. It earned him a grumble as she pulled herself over to him and pressed her lips to his.

"You taste like whiskey," she said, curling up beside him.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No." A soft kiss followed on his jaw and she took her usual position at his side, head on his chest. "Did you have fun?"

"I did," he answered. "I hadn't been out with the men in a while."

"You can go more," she mumbled.

"Maybe I will. Did you have fun?"

She nodded, but didn't elaborate before stretching out against his side. "I miss... spending time with Mom, really."

"Amicitia tea brewing," he said, remembering their very first real conversation they had had. "You could spend more time over. I don't mind."

She shook her head. "Dad just uses it as an excuse to bug me."

Cor didn't know what to do about that, not really. He just had to keep hoping that Clarus eventually came around. A month in, it was getting harder and harder to believe that would happen any time soon. "I realized we're coming up on three months together soon."

"In two weeks," she mumbled.

"Would you like to commemorate it?"

Iris wriggled a bit, clearly spending her time getting comfortable. "I almost feel like plotting something would mean dad would try to find a way to get in the way. If we can, sure... but I don't want to be disappointed."

He wished the two of them would actually be able to have a life without Clarus constantly meddling, but he understood, and he spent a few moments touching Iris's hair gently. "Love you."

"Me too," she answered softly. "Me too..."

Cor closed his eyes after that, Iris against him, and he drifted off to a contented sleep, at least for that moment.

Clarus, of course, seemed bound and determined to make Iris dance or have dinner with almost every damn marriageable lord or vaguely elevated person in the Niflheim aristocracy, and even a few of the local persons of status in Palga. Thankfully he didn't need to witness various Lucian aristocrats doing the same. Noct was vaguely considered promised to Stella, Ignis of course was taken, and the rest of them mostly were equally terrified of Clarus and Cor and split the difference of not upsetting either of them by politely ignoring the issue of Iris.

Cor found himself constantly receiving little bits of intelligence about the various men Clarus was attempting to foist on her, 'smells weird', 'super impolite', 'decent but not you'. It wasn't that she was completely besieged by completely unsuited men, just that Clarus somehow seemed to think that the action would do anything other than dig her heels in even more.

He woke early on their anniversary, letting Iris sleep in as he prepared his very best rendition of breakfast in bed: pancakes with ulwaat berry compote and whipped cream, sunnyside eggs, a particularly spicy gighee sausage Iris had taken a liking to, and with a very great amount of finagling and some help from Ignis: fresh squeezed Duscae orange juice.

After he had finished, he woke Iris with a gentle brush of fingers on her forehead and then presented her with her breakfast.

"Wow..." She smiled, face brilliantly bright, and then she kissed him on the forehead. "Perfect. Now... sit, I can't eat all of this myself."

They shared ulwaat berry flavored kisses and Iris carefully foisted bits of everything but the eggs on him (she loved eggs, and Cor wasn't a fan of sunnyside up), her hand clasped with his.

"Thanks," she said, a little pink coming to her cheeks. "I..."

"I wanted to do something nice. I knew you couldn't be happy to just... do nothing." He then leaned in and gently pressed a kiss to her temple. "Happy anniversary. Today... three months ago, my king, and very dear friend told me that I was an idiot for not realizing how you felt about me, and I've been a far happier man for it, no matter the trials."

"Cor..." She made a little laugh, small and happy. "I still remember when we first really started talking. I was so nervous, and you were so... untouchable. It just made me realize you were a man, a kind, funny man... and I think I got whacked in the back of the head by that realization in under an hour. I wanted you since then. I think... at first it was just a crush, you're cute, you're funny..."

Cor didn't exactly agree, but he knew Iris thought so and he could hardly gainsay her on the matter.

"But it just kept being... more, every day it was more until I... I almost lost you." A few tears came to her eyes and she started to blink them away. "That's when I knew I... that's when I knew I didn't want to be without you."

"I will do my damnedest to not make you feel that again," he promised. He knew it was a hard promise, one he likely wouldn't be able to keep, but he'd try.

They went back to their food, and smiles, and happy chuckles.

"Where the hell is Gladdy anyway?"

"Told him to take the day off," Cor answered.

Sadly, the morning couldn't last, and the two of them eventually took a quick shower and Iris headed off to what would no doubt be yet another day of... Clarus. Cor arrived at the delegation hall a good bit later only to find Iris talking with a relatively attractive young man maybe in his mid twenties. Clarus's latest, it seemed.

Cor hardly spent his time staring, but he make sure to check in on the pair every once in a while. Iris seemed to be holding her own well enough, but after what felt like close to a half hour, Cor glanced back over to see Iris glance over to him and make a slight shake of her hand. Nothing obvious at first, until she grabbed his attention and then brushed her hair, making what Cor was fairly certain was an unobtrusive request for cover.

Oddly it was that moment that he realized that Iris was Clarus's daughter; he'd always known that, obviously, but the fact that she did have that training in self-defense and tactical items had generally passed him by. He blamed the fact that he'd been bleeding out during the last instance he might have witnessed that.

Still, request for cover made, Cor made his way over to where the couple was talking, he cleared his throat, and gave the man a smile that wasn't entirely too toothy and predatory. 

"Lady Iris, some questions have arisen concerning some of the economics proposals if I could trouble you for some of your time," he asked, smoothly, or at least he thought he had...

Only to have the younger man look over at him and glance up and down. "He's your bit on the side, isn't he?"

"What the hells?" Iris said, obviously shocked by the question, and the gall it took to even ask. 

Cor stepped between the two of them and used his body to shield Iris, and likely the young man from her as well. Iris could be vicious if she wanted. "Care to think that over?" Cor offered the man.

"Nah," the guy said, tilting his head in a challenging gesture. 'What's it to you?' really. "I'm right. Lady Iris has been sniffing around the whole delegation for a better lay, though."

Really he should know better. He was a grown man, he was supposed to be mature and responsible but he barely shoved down the urge to deck the kid outright, settling for holding his hand out to ward the kid off.

The kid swung, and Cor used the opening to slam his palm into the kid's stomach and leave him to curl up on the ground, gasping for air.

He winced a little after, turning away. "He was probably important..."

Iris added her own wince, and nodded. "Yeah... the... you know, the son of the head of the Niflheim delegation..." She shook her head. "Thanks though... I think. Not sure my honor needed that much defending though."

"You shouldn't have to listen to that."

"No, I shouldn't..." Iris sighed, and the kid - Orton, he later learned - was helped off by a few of the Niff guards. Cor was left untouched.

Clarus... Clarus on the other hand had other ideas.

"What the _hells_ were you thinking?!" the man all but yelled at him in one of the private delegate offices. "Do you know how delicate this negotiation is? You might have seriously compromised the entire peace process over some... dick waving."

Clarus was still wearing his own Lords' Council robe and he looked absolutely furious. Cor was standing with his arms crossed and really in no mood to listen to Clarus bitch him out.

"I was thinking he swung first," Cor answered, voice far harder than he was used to being with Clarus, but Cor was damn sick of dealing with Clarus's little huff over him. "I don't give a gods damn who his father is. He called your daughter a slut, and you're so caught up in her dating me that you don't even care. Not six months ago, if this had happened you'd have brought me here, laughed, and said the little shit probably deserved it."

Clarus seemed to calm just a fraction from that, not happy but actually reflective instead of reflexive. "He... what?"

"He said that I was her bit on the side, but she'd been sniffing around for a better lay, and when I stepped between them he tried to hit me." Cor shrugged. "So I put him on the ground."

"Why on Eos would he say something like that?"

Cor took a moment to boggle at Clarus's idiocy. "You've been shuffling Iris from eligible bachelor to eligible bachelor trying to get her to date someone else. Why the hells do you think someone might get the idea she's fucking around with the entire Niff delegation? Iris adores you, Clarus. She might be mad, but she's doing what she's been asked because she can at least pretend she's helping the peace process."

He couldn't even think of anything else after that, he just shook his head and turned away.

Clarus, far from continue his tirade, fell silent. It must have been minutes, Cor standing there, waiting to get torn a new one by his Captain, but instead when Cor finally turned around he found Clarus there, eyes closed, a distraught look etched on his features.

"We done?" Cor asked.

"Find me someone from the Niff side who'd vouch the kid swung first. I'll talk to Ambassador Ehctor and make it clear he should consider it a diplomatic courtesy that his son's not looking at attempted assault... and that you didn't do worse to him, to be honest."

"He was a brat, not a threat." But Cor nodded and left. It barely took him thirty seconds to find what Clarus had requested. The Crownsguard had immediately taken to the task of searching out peoples' stories.

That handled, he went looking for Iris, only to find her nowhere in the building. She might have been hiding somewhere, just wanting to be alone. It wasn't her style but he could hardly blame her if she chose to now. A few men eventually pointed him outside, where he found Iris standing at the shore edge of Lake Palga, picking up rocks and chuckling them angrily into the water.

"Hey," he greeted her. "One of those for my head?"

She snorted and chuckled another. "No. I can't be upset about that, you just stepped in for me."

His welcome assured after a fashion, Cor stepped closer and then hugged her around her shoulders, holding her back to his chest. "Love you."

"Do you think everyone thinks--?"

"No," Cor assured her. "It's just... an easy place to hit a woman, and any men who care about her. I shouldn't have fallen for it."

She shook her head. "I understand why you were upset. _I_ was upset... you know why he--?"

"I know."

"Is it too late to consider patricide?" she asked, voice obviously joking but Cor knew it was coming from a place of hurt.

Cor pressed his nose to her scalp. "I'd recommend against. I told him off, hopefully he'll think. I'm sorry."

She nodded, eyes downcast. "Thanks for... telling dad off."

"Of course."

"Thanks for... being you."

"My pleasure, Lady Iris."

"... Mine too."

Cor laughed, and Iris answered with a laugh of her own, and the two of them at least could laugh for a minute over this whole damn thing. It was one thing he could rely on at least, Iris being a wonderful ray of sunshine even if she deserved to be less.

He squeezed her tight, her arms held onto his, and the two of them waited for the consequences.

*

Cor spent the next few minutes relaxing against Iris. She'd stopped chucking stones into the lake and it had finally grown calmer, a few ripples skated across it when a particularly sound gust of wind came off the ocean, and Cor would rub his hands along her bare arms to keep her warm.

He heard a soft crunch of gravel and he tensed slightly, awaiting...

"Cor, Iris." ... Clarus.

He let his arms fall, and he turned around. Clarus was standing back, just enough to leave them a space, sort of. He looked upset, and he waited for Iris to turn around as well. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, clearly waiting for something.

Cor waited for whatever was coming as well. 

"Ambassador Ehctor has agreed to... remind his son to be more civil," Clarus began. "Nothing else should come from that."

Iris sighed a breath of relief. "Good."

Clarus didn't say anything for a long time, not really waiting, just standing... "I've made reservations for you and Lord Orton to go to dinner together."

"Dad, you--!" Iris began, Clarus held up his hand, and Iris, perhaps a bit too obediently, quieted.

"I thought given the circumstances you might like to take Cor instead," Clarus offered.

Cor felt his mouth slacken, shocked by... When he glanced over to Iris he could see she was going to cry, her hand over her mouth to stop her lip from trembling. He reached out, and she slid into his arms. "Hey," he said to her, fingers in her hair. "How about that? Happy anniversary."

Clarus looked startled at that, and Cor saw him tilt his head in question.

"Three months," Cor said, and then he brushed his fingers through Iris's hair again. "Well, let me make sure there are no other problems inside. Do you need to finish anything up?"

"Collecting some materials for the territorial concessions," Iris confirmed with a nod.

"Your reservation is at six thirty at the Far Blue," Clarus told them both, and then added a little nod of his own. "I..." He was struggling for something to say, that much was painfully obvious.

Cor knew that Clarus was not a man who frequently fumbled for words, so it was surprising how much he seemed at a loss. "Have a good anniversary."

"Thanks, Dad..."

Clarus left, and although Cor could tell it still hurt, and that he still wasn't happy, he was at least ready to budge on one thing: Cor and Iris were together, whether he liked it or not.

Iris, of course, decided to celebrate by jumping at him, and Cor looped his arms under her legs quickly and let her cling to him, climbing against his body and kissing the breath out of him. She kissed him until his legs grew wobbly and he had to release her and she slid down his front.

"Gods, Cor, he..." Her face was lit up so bright and Cor smiled and smiled, his hands going to her face to cup her cheeks. "He..."

"Yup. Let's not waste the opportunity though. I'm going to get back to work."

"Me too."

They broke apart, but Iris seemed reluctant to move farther. She waited, her hand skating over his shoulder and down to his hand before he let go and began to move away.

He watched her leave, and then a few moments later he realized he was only hanging back because Clarus hated seeing them together. So he took a few large strides to catch up and then threw his arm over her shoulders and walked with her the rest of the way back to the conference area.

As promised, he got back to work on the minor investigation and then took a few minutes to check in with the local officers before he found Clarus discussing more of the treaty considerations with one of the other Ambassadors.

"Marshal," Clarus greeted him when he wandered near.

"M'Lord."

Clarus made their excuses to the Ambassador and the two of them made a lazy trajectory towards Clarus's makeshift office. "Cor, you... I'm still not happy, but I've done both you and Iris a disservice. Hells, Louri keeps telling me if you weren't... you, I'd have been more than happy to have Iris dating someone like you. She's not wrong. I'm sorry."

Cor had honestly barely expected that, so he was pleased enough to have Clarus not be a complete ass about them.

"You're a good man, and I know that."

"Thank you," Cor answered. He meant it, too. He'd had his own trouble with Clarus's disapproval, and the idea it meant that Clarus might have thought less of him or... "Well..." He glanced at his phone and the time on it. "I have a date, so I better get home and get pretty."

Clarus snorted, and then shook his head, but at least he hadn't seemed upset.

Iris was also home when he got there, a towel on her head as she dried her hair from the quick showered she'd obviously taken and was brushing her hair while wearing little more than a towel that barely concealed her butt. He could admit to more than a bit of a distraction due to the state of undress, but he did eventually glance to the bed and note a very quickly wrapped gift on the bed.

He chuckled. "Don't tell me that you forgot our anniversary?" That was certainly what he got from the gift.

"No." She turned and stuck her tongue out. "I just decided I wanted to get you something specific I hadn't gotten yet."

Cor took a few steps over to the bed and gave it a gentle shake only to hear something shift inside.

"Stop," she said. "It's for after dinner."

"Alright, alright." He headed into the restroom himself and washed up, gave his cheeks and upper lip a quick shave to neaten his look, straightened his hair, and then went looking for his nicest suit.

He was in the middle of buttoning his shirt when Iris returned from behind her own wardrobe with a beautifully designed black dress. Cor spent a few moments ogling, just... unable to believe the way the lacy black material clung to her arms and her chest low enough to reveal some of the swell of her breast before the dress turned sheer and hugged her body all the way down.

"Damn," he said.

She smiled, and that was when he noticed the darker lipstick that made her lips stand out even more on her pale skin.

"I want you to know I'm the luckiest man in Eos."

Another smile followed, but he held out an elbow instead. Iris grabbed her clutch and then the two of them headed out toward the door. Cor slid into the driver's seat of the ridiculously omnipresent carts that served as transport on the narrow, paved roads, and the two of them made good time down to the very tip of Lake Palga, where the huge, crateresque lake barely touched the edge of the sea, a tiny little point - not able to be crossed or built on for fear of tipping the delicate geological balance that preserved the gentle stream of water over the edge - where, many yards away, a relatively small and very intimate restaurant: Far Blue, sat.

A small table pressed against a floor to ceiling window and overlooked the ocean, and Cor and Iris were led there.

"Nice digs," he said, with a little chuckle. Clarus knew he could walk the walk when it came to fancy food, but it usually wasn't his preference. For Iris he'd happily make the exception, however.

Menus were delivered and the two of them picked over their options: nothing had a price. Damn, the epitome of 'if you have to ask...'. A few dishes were simpler affairs, but Cor found himself eyeing the tasting menus that seemed to boil down to 'let the chef surprise us'.

They decided on that.

Dinner was a lazy affair, delicious food in smaller portions, an excuse to eat off of Iris's fork even if they were eating the exact same things, and an excuse to watch the back lit ocean shimmer into darkness.

Oysters, prawns, cured gighee, cheese, greens, specialty bred garulessa steaks... the list went on. The two of them traded sips of wine and easy conversation. It wasn't until the third course that Iris finally broached the subject his mind had been teasing with for hours.

"Do you know what changed?" she asked. "With dad."

"I told him his having you... socialize with so many men was... difficult."

Iris was bright and politic, and she read between the lines. "Oh. That did it?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I just told him that, and an hour or so later..."

"We had a nice dinner to look forward to," she finished for him, and then smiled. "I just can't believe..."

He brought his hand to Iris's and they held their hands together like that.

The trip back to the cabin was far lazier, and with more stops for Iris to run her hands along his chest or through his hair or kiss against his collar. When they returned home, the common room was mercifully empty, and Iris hopped into his arms as they made the quick trip down one of the hallways and into their bedroom.

Well... 'quickly'. He was fairly certain he had Iris pressed up against the wall several times as they made the short trip.

A final sweep through their bedroom door and Cor kicked the door closed and set Iris gently down on the bed, only noting then the still-wrapped gift that Iris had kept him from inspecting before dinner.

When he went to kiss her neck again, she held up a finger, telling him to wait, and then patted the bed beside him, urging him to join her there.

Cor did so, and he waited.

Iris held the package tight in her hands and took a deep breath. "I've been... thinking about us a lot. I'm so happy to wake up next to you and fall asleep beside you, even if everything in between has been a little rough lately." She glanced to him, a little smile on her lips, and Cor leaned in to add a kiss to her temple.

"But it's been so hard to just be happy without a little bit of sadness too... but not today," she continued, a happy little laugh followed and she looked up at him, bright smile on her face. "Today I'm so happy..."

"Me too," Cor couldn't deny that his own weight had been lifted from his chest.

"So... like I said, I've been thinking about it a lot, and... I want to be with you." She looked up at him, a little nervous, and Cor frowned.

"Me too," he assured her.

She sighed, and cocked her head in a way that said 'Cor, you doof'. "Sleep with you?" she clarified, and Cor was momentarily shocked when he realized what she'd meant. "Make love? Sex?"

He pulled her into a kiss to stop her clarification tirade, and she very happily and enthusiastically answered his kiss, and a few more seconds of kissing and she nudged him back and Cor laid down on the bed, Iris lightly pinning him with her forearms. "So what was the present then?" he asked.

She blushed a little, and then placed it on his chest and Cor maneuvered carefully to retrieve it and pull away the plain blue wrapping paper. Condoms. He chuckled.

"Hmmm, let's see if I can figure out something to do with these..." He placed them down at his side. "Balloon animals?"

He got another 'you doof' look, but instead took the opportunity to tug the two of them up the bed and then rolled Iris onto her back and looked down at her, hair spread on the covers of their bed.

"Sure?" he asked.

She nodded, bright smile taking over her face. "Yeah."

Cor took a few moments trying to find the zip or clasp of her dress, and Iris rolled to display the zipper that trailed all the way down the lacy sides, and Cor made quick and careful work of the fastening, sliding it down along her side from breast to hip bone and lower, and then giving in to the urge to slip his hand between the parted fabric and cupped her bare ass, earning him an amused little yelp.

The next few moments were a delicate struggle to pull the dress down and leave Iris to relax against the bed without stretching the dress, and he gladly took advantage of his strength to lift her in one hand and tug with another, before he finally freed Iris of the dress, peeled it down her legs and then stood to take it to the wardrobe and gently hang it there.

When he glanced back to the bed, Iris was naked, fiddling with the box of condoms, and Cor took his opportunity to tug off his tie, hang his jacket and peel away his own pants, leaving him in his dress shirt and boxers.

He couldn't deny slight nerves, though. Iris said she'd been thinking about it for a while, but he knew he'd be her first, and he wanted her to be happy, to not regret it in any way...

A satisfied chuckle came from her, and he glanced to see her toss a condom wrapper on the bed and then chucked the condoms to land neatly on the bedside table.

Cor added his own smile to that, and watched as Iris slid onto her knees and walked towards him, giving him a very confident come hither with the crook of a finger. He was hardly going to protest that, and he took the few steps he needed to reach the foot of the bed, and Iris slowly began to work at the buttons of his collar.

"Are _you_ sure?" she finally asked as she undid the third button and continued down. "You seem nervous."

"I want to be good for you," he admitted. That was the root of the nerves.

"I'm sure you will be. I trust you."

When she finished her march down his chest, fingers leaving bare skin in their wake, Cor began the lazy task of walking them both up the bed and then fell into the pleasure of kisses as Iris tugged off his shirt and sent it Six knew where.

"So," he said, leaning in to tickle his beard against her throat. "What are we going to do with you?"

She whimpered in response, and Cor brought a hand to her breast, gently cupping and touching her as he watched her face. There was something, he could tell, the way she bit her lip told him that, and he waited, just lightly touching her to start to bring her that comfortable buzz before he ran his fingers down her belly to her core and lower, brushing his fingers against her inner thighs.

Iris parted them slightly, and Cor waited for her to say anything more.

"I want to ride you," she said, her cheeks flushing as she did. "I want to... be on top of you and just... see you all... I want to just get to watch you while we're together."

Cor could have said the same thing, Iris had a gorgeous body, but he could hardly protest when he would have the same chance to see her... "Sounds... perfect." He made a contemplative noise and then scooted up the bed and relaxed with his head on one of the pillows, and then he patted his hand against his chest.

Iris slid up to him, leaning against his body, and he tugged her to bring her legs across his chest. She flushed a little, on display for him like that, but he spent a few moments touching her inner thighs, spreading her a bit to allow him to run his fingers along her opening and feel that she was already starting to get wet.

"You're so damn beautiful," he said, and he meant it, he loved how she just... was. "Come here." He put his hands on her ass and nudged her forward, and he watched as she came closer to the top of the bed until her legs were spread beside his head. 

"Wait, are you--?" He silenced her with a purposeful lick along her entrance, and she gave her usual startled yelp, before she laughed a little, and he saw her plant her hand again the wall to hold herself up as she stayed spread across his face.

The breathy gasps that Iris made as he pressed his lips to her and licked and sucked at her clit were more than enough to start to make him hard. His own moans grew as he continued to taste her and lick her, getting lost in her.

"Cor... I..." She moaned more and he watched her as she leaned more against the wall, and he continued to tease and draw out an orgasm that left her trembling enough that he could see it in the way her thighs struggled to keep her across him.

He held her, his hands comforting and holding her trembling thighs before he helped ease her back to sit at his chest. "Hey."

"Hi," she answered, blushing a little. "Um..." She reached forward to the side of his shoulder where the condom was still resting, and then she began to kiss down his chest, and Cor smiled as she continued her path.

"Don't rush, love," he reminded her, his hand going down to her face, and then brushing gently against her hair as she began to lick at him, tongue swiping up his shaft and over his head before sliding him into her mouth for one brief, wet, tantalizing moment.

It didn't take long for him to grow fully hard at her lips and in her hands, and he watched as his lover straddled his thighs and looked down at his erection with firm and dedicated look, as though trying to decide how best to solve a difficult problem. Thankfully, she decided to open the condom wrapper and very carefully held the tip and began to roll the condom down his shaft, intent look on her face.

Cor would have chuckled were it not for the very distracting way Iris began to stroke him, apparently happy with the fit.

A few moments after deciding that was good, she scooted up to his dick and bit her lip. He reached down, taking himself in hand and putting his other hand on her hip. She eventually ended up with her hands on his chest, holding herself up and robbing him of some of his breath while she carefully brushed her opening against him.

Iris decided she liked the feel of just that, brushing his dick against her, but she did eventually settle in and sank down just an inch or so on him, taking his head inside of her and squeezing him damn tight. "Relax," he said. "Relax."

She exhaled and seemed to do just that, still tight, but not a death grip on his cock. After she grew more accustom to that, she sank down just a bit more before experimentally lifting her hips to go up and down on his shaft. Cor watched with a greedy focus as his dick slipped between her thighs and disappeared inside of her.

"You good?" he asked, stroking her thigh gently. She nodded, smile bright. "You look amazing."

"You're huge," she answered, and Cor chuckled. "It's... gods it feels really good though."

Cor waited through the unending torment of her slowly sliding down him, taking him into her inch by agonizing inch, before she finally had sunk all the way down, her butt against his hips.

He checked on her again, and tried an experimental thrust of his hips up into her and Iris just moaned. It didn't take long to find a comfortable rhythm, Iris leaning back just enough to allow Cor to hit that spot inside of her that made her shudder for him.

She grew more and more bold as their lovemaking continued, levering herself up and sliding back down, growing more and more sure of her movements and what she enjoyed, and Cor got lost in her almost as much as she seemed lost in him.

He knew he held back, just a little, just trying to keep himself from being overtaken by the hungry want he felt when he looked at Iris and realized she was his. But she rode him, intent look on her face giving way to passion and letting go of those few inhibitions that had troubled her when they'd started making love.

"Cor, I..." She rode him harder, body chasing her release, and Cor watched her as she fucked herself on his dick, and he finally gave himself over to that feeling, just letting her take him, letting her own him and make him hers.

He came first, and as he did he reached out and touched her clit. He stroked her with his thumb as she bore down on him to take her own pleasure. Eventually her hands, balled in pleasure, came to rest on her stomach as she panted, body arched over him, eyes closed...

When he eyes fluttered open he smiled at her, and sat up, pulling her to his chest and holding her close, still buried inside of her. "Love you."

"Yeah," she answered. "Yeah... I love you so much."

Kisses and touches were traded for long minutes, until Cor gently urged her off and to lay down, heading to the bathroom to dump the condom, and when he returned he found Iris snuggled comfortably in the covers.

He joined her, and was unsurprised when she hugged his side.

"That was... great," she said. "I just don't know what to say, just... it was... intense."

"Good," he said, pulling her over to him and kissing her softly. "Feeling alright?"

"Gonna be a touch sore, but yeah, I feel great. Can't wait to get used to feeling you inside of me."

"Six," he said. She was... "You are going to be the very pleasurable death of me."

"I'd rather just be very pleasurable," she answered. He saw the question on her face, and he knew she was worried that she hadn't been.

He hated those little moments of doubt she had, but he also knew it was impossible to demand she not feel that way. She was human, she was nervous, and she was navigating something she had no experience at.

"You were... perfect. I love you, and... anything I share with you is perfect. You're gorgeous, you're sexy, you make truly intoxicating noises, and I await your pleasure."

She snickered a bit, and smiled, but he knew that he'd made his point.

"Now come here." He pulled her in and squeezed her close. "I know I tell you I'm the luckiest man in all Eos, but I am. I... Iris I don't deserve you."

"Cor."

"I just mean I've spent my whole life serving my country and barely looking twice at women or worrying about a family. By all rights I have no right to have some beautiful woman walk into my life and fall for me and love me and treat me with the love and kindness you do. I didn't earn it, and I didn't work for it, but Iris, I... I will work to make you happy and I'll work to make you feel loved."

He meant it, he felt that deep in his soul that he'd done nothing to earn the joy and happiness that Iris constantly gave him, but he certainly would never take her for granted.

"Well... you did earn it," she said after a few moments of silence. "You earned it because... of everything that makes you you."

They relaxed in each other's arms, Iris giving him lazy kisses against his throat or along his collar bone. "I hope this was a good anniversary."

"Breakfast in bed, nice dinner, good sex... Yeah, it was a really good anniversary." She walked her fingers over his chest. "Although... you know some of that is because..."

"Of Clarus," Cor finished for her. The name they generally didn't speak in bed for obvious reasons. "Well... supreme irony of that making you comfortable with the idea of being with me aside... I know how hard it's been for you the last weeks."

"I just... you're right. It's been so..." She shook her head, nuzzling into his chest as she did and then sighed. "Well, I'm happy now."

"That's the important part," he assured her. "Comfortable? Want a shower?"

"Mmmm, that would be nice." She, of course, decided that she would demonstrate this by just flopping against him.

He chuckled and then slid out of bed, throwing her against him like a sack of potatoes and dragging her to the bathroom. She slid out of his grip when he set her down and then turned the water on hot. They washed away the tiredness, the ache of over a month of worry and not being accepted... and he held Iris's wet body and kissed her messy, wet hair, and he just... still didn't know how he'd gotten so lucky to be blessed with the woman beside him.

*

Iris headed off for her run with Gladio early, waking Cor with a gentle nuzzle at his throat before leaving a warm divot in the bed beside him. Cor curled into it for a moment, realizing he was a supreme sap, and then he stretched and rolled out of bed to get started on breakfast.

He was most of the way through cutting up omelette fixings and mixing the eggs when a knock came from the door and Cor went to check. Clarus, in casual slacks and a button down. That, more than anything, made Cor relax. Clarus was a man who understood - indeed had taught Cor - that clothing could be a weapon, and Clarus had shown up disarmed.

"Clarus," Cor greeted him, tilting his head to invite him in before getting back to his prep.

"Cor... I hope you and Iris had a good anniversary."

It sounded like there was a tiny bit of choking on the words, just a touch, and Cor only noticed it because he had known Clarus for so long. He didn't begrudge it, though, he knew Clarus was trying.

"We did," Cor answered with a smile. "Thank you for the dinner reservations. I was afraid I was going to have to go with adequately home cooked meal instead." And he even politely didn't tell Clarus their lack of planning was because they were worried his pettiness would cost them any plans.

"I'm glad. Louri... had some choice words for me last night. She always does, but I think me actually swallowing my pride had the gates open." Clarus made himself comfortable on one of the stools and relaxed. "So... this is it: I'm damn sorry I was such an ass."

Apologies didn't come easy to Clarus, Cor knew that. He was trained to be dogged and unrelenting and to stay sure of his course, so to admit that was a hard thing. "Well, you were an ass."

Clarus made the 'you got me there' face.

"I did know you'd come around, eventually. It took a lot longer than I expected, but... it's been a weight on me, losing one of my closest friends. I knew you wouldn't be thrilled, but I am in love with her, it's not something meaningless or shallow."

"I do understand that now," Clarus answered. "It's hard not to feel protective of my daughter. She's... I want her to be safe and loved and... I know she has all of that with you, I was just too stubborn to see that."

Cor did smile at that. "So... what's with the falling on your sword?"

Clarus held up his hands in surrender almost immediately. "Velouria asked me to make the offer for you two to come live in the Amicitia cabin. Like I said, she's pretty rightfully pissed at me for keeping the two of you at arm's length and not welcoming you into the home. It's... odd, really. You've been this strange mix of son and brother since we met and I'm just finding it very, very hard to consider you a son-in-law."

Cor chuckled, closing his eyes, he could understand that. When they first met, Cor was thirteen, Clarus twenty three, it was an gap that lent itself to a paternal sense... "Well, I won't call you dad, don't worry."

Clarus winced.

"Well, Iris should be back from her run in..." He glanced. "Five or ten more minutes. I think she'd like to hear your invitation. Orange juice?"

"Please. I didn't know Palga had much by way of imported oranges."

"They don't. I had Ignis help me import some for yesterday's breakfast in bed."

"Breakfast in bed?" Clarus asked. "How... sweet and unlike you."

Cor gave a little smile. "Well, she's worth it."

The door opened after that and Iris barreled into the kitchen with a: "Hey, Cor, I..." Only to see her father perched on one of the bar stools. "Hi, Dad."

Gladio entered behind her and gave them both a wave.

"Staying for breakfast?" Cor asked.

"If you don't mind. Iggy's sleeping in, the guy's been working too damn hard."

"You can rinse off in the hall bathroom. I'll point you," Iris said heading toward the back and Cor watched her, smiling. He'd been slightly worried she would be even a little regretful of last night's decision, but if anything she seemed even more happy today than she had last night.

Iris wasn't usually long in the shower after a run, just enough to soap, scrub and do a quick shampoo and condition. The bigger effort to actually make her hair look pretty waited for dry hair after breakfast, a fact that Cor was forever grateful for.

Cor served up four omelettes for the three Amicitias and himself, and took a seat, waiting for Iris to slide between him and Clarus and press a kiss to his temple. "Good run?"

"Yup. So... um, Dad, what's up?"

He smiled for a second. "I wanted to apologize for being such an ass about you and Cor. I also... wanted to extend an invitation for the two of you to come to the cabin for the rest of the treaty. Your mother and I miss having you around."

"Oh..." Iris glanced over her shoulder to where Cor was, and he gave her a little shrug. As far as he was concerned, it was all her call. He'd been waiting for Clarus to get over his reactionary behavior on the topic, and now that he had it was up to Iris how they'd go from there. "Cor and I will discuss it."

"Open invitation," Clarus assured her.

They had a relatively relaxed breakfast from there, and after Clarus and Gladio headed off, the two of them headed back to their room and Cor brushed her hair while Iris seemed to mull over the invitation.

"What are you thinking?" she asked him.

"I think it's your decision. Clarus and I are friends and colleagues, but you're his daughter. Do you want to be there?"

"I guess... sort of? I like being here, it's sort of nice to be away from mom and dad and just feel like us, but I also really do miss Gladdy, and I know the guys go out and do stuff sometimes that would be nice to get into. A lot of the Crownsguard... well I'm Lady Iris to them, I'm not a coworker. A lot of them see it as their duty to protect me or guard me because I'm an Amicitia, and that means we can't really be relaxed with each other. I guess that's what I'm thinking."

"All reasonable things." Cor sometimes forgot that Iris was so elevated by comparison to most. Cor supposed his own ability to ignore that status was because of Clarus, and he supposed that was one thing he really should thank the man for. "It's not like I can't join them for drinks."

"It also lets me... you know, make sure dad really means it about being alright with us."

"It won't happen overnight," Cor reminded her.

"I know. He's not going to go from hating us to loving us in under a day, but I won't really know unless we try. I also... I really miss mom sometimes, dad too, of course; Gladdy and I go out running often enough I don't really miss him, but..."

Cor leaned in and pressed a kiss to her temple. "You want to go."

"I do." She frowned. "Give it a few days to settle?"

"At your command, Lady Iris."

Three days of no further pressure from Clarus and no further... assholery from Clarus, the two of them decided to bite the bullet and move back in the mid afternoon after talks had ended for the day.

"You mind two more for dinner?" he asked Velouria as the two of them settled bags on the entryway floor.

"Cor, it's so good to see you," she said, coming up to him and giving him a tight hug. They'd seen each other at the treaty talks now and again, but it hadn't been the same social time they sometimes had at the Citadel. "And of course not, let me point the way."

There was a freshly made bed in the center of the room, a dresser and a closet, and Cor got to work hanging up Iris's dresses and his suit before they took a very brief moment to try out the bed, Iris shoving him down and kissing him senseless.

"You're going to make me look your dad in the eye at dinner," Cor said as she licked a stripe across his throat.

"If you think I'm giving up any of what we have just because we're in a different bedroom..."

So he pulled her in and rolled her over, making his own voyage of tongues and lips against hers and drew out a breathy whimper from her before a knock on the half-opened door and a gentle push had the two of them scrambling apart and Ignis standing at the door looking properly scandalized.

"Well, welcome home," he said after he'd regained some of his composure. "We're going to play Merle, would you two care to join us?"

Iris checked the suitcases, decided they'd unpacked enough, and then nodded. "I'm in."

"I'll come down in a hand," Cor assured her. "I'll finish the unpacking."

Cor did exactly that and came down to the game of Merle in its sixth or seventh trick, and Iris waved him over, sliding off her chair by the table, and Cor sat behind her, gently rubbing her shoulders, as Noct, Ignis, and Gladio continued the game. She took the next two tricks with Ignis and then Noct and Gladio complained.

"Damn it, Cor, you're supposed to distract her," Noct said.

"I'm afraid it's usually the other way around," he answered, and Iris looped an arm around his leg and leaned against his knee.

Iris and Ignis won, and then Noct and Gladio begged Cor to join to reset their scores. Cor pressed a kiss to Iris's temple and then sat across from her, joining the game as they changed to partner call.

It turned out that Iris was a horrible poker face murder beast when it came to cards, an aspect of her personality Cor had never yet appreciated.

"And _this_ is why you don't invite Iris to play cards," Gladio told Ignis as they went to scrub up for dinner.

"My mistake, clearly."

Dinner was a fairly relaxed affair of fish, greens and potatoes, and afterward the entire family and the Prince lounged in several of the rooms, and Cor and Iris wound up in the cozier den with Clarus and Velouria popping in later into the evening as they were reading, Cor's head in Iris's lap as she brushed her fingers through his hair.

"You two are quite sweet," Velouria said.

Cor smiled.

"Get you two anything?" Clarus asked.

"Beer?" Cor asked. "And..." He glanced over to Iris. "Wine?"

"White," Iris confirmed.

"Got it." Clarus left and Cor watched as Velouria looked at them, a watery smile he recognized from Iris on her face.

"I feel like it's been forever," Velouria said to Iris. "You have a boyfriend, you're... I feel like I barely know you two right now."

"Well... he's great," Iris said, turning back to Velouria. "He's cute and sweet and caring. He's handsome, he's thoughtful... I really love him."

"And I really love her," Cor answered, Iris reached out to grab his hand when he said it. "Louri, I know it must be easy to be skeptical but--"

She shook her head. "I know you hate dating and courtship and everything it entails. You must feel strongly to put up with all that for Iris. Hopefully Clarus will get a bit more comfortable with you two. It's clear you two care for each other."

"I'm working on it." Clarus returned with their beer and wine and then sat down with Velouria. "I'm not usually so stubbornly wrongheaded--"

Cor cleared his throat and Clarus answered with a stern glare.

"I don't think you can use that line on Cor, dear," Velouria said, causing the three of them to chuckle at Clarus's expense and thankfully the man took it with good grace.

Late in the evening, the two of them headed to bed, with Iris happily taking her place at his side under the covers.

"Happy?" he asked her as Iris rested her head on his chest.

"Very. It's a little weird. Different bed, different light... It should feel like home but it's also not."

His fingers brushed gently along her temples and played with her hair. "Give it a day or two," he promised her.

"Yeah... thanks, Cor, for... you know, giving dad a chance."

"He's one of my best friends. Idiotic ass or not, he's my friend."

They spent a few minutes of relaxed kissing, just a light, care-free way to end the day, and then the two of them fell asleep in each other's arms. Cor stayed awake long enough for her to still and for her to fall into the gentle rhythm of breathing that came with sleep.

"You... are perfect," he told her, and he pressed a soft kiss to the crown of her head before he relaxed against his pillow, arm flung above his head while the other stayed wrapped around her.

She did eventually roll away - too hot with so many sheets and bodies together - and Cor drifted off into a contented sleep soon after.

He wasn't certain when he woke, only that Iris was grabbing at him and making a terrified noise. She scratched at him, and he brought his hands up to grab her wrists, trying not to restrain her too much but he held her, rolling to keep her secure.

"Iris. Iris, wake up."

She didn't, just continued to struggle at him.

"Iris!"

He heard the door slam open behind him, Clarus standing lit by the hallway lights. "What in the name of the Six?"

Cor wasn't surprised to feel Clarus's hand on his shoulder, grabbing at him, and Cor shoved him back, before grabbing Iris's wrist again. "Give her a minute," he said, voice hard. "Iris! Iris, dear. I'm right here..."

Her eyes finally snapped open after that, looking at Cor, face shocked and already starting to blossom into tears. The sob came after that and he let her go, only for her to lean up and grab him, crying into his chest.

"It's ok," he told her, helping her sit up and he sat back, holding her close and pressing a kiss to her temple. "I've got you."

"Couldn't hear you..." she said softly, a few more wet spots dripping on his chest from her tears. A few more moments and she pulled away, finally noticing Clarus. "Dad?! I... I just..."

"I'm going to go make some tea," Cor told her. "Is that alright? Your dad's right here."

"Yeah..." She looked nervous. Cor knew Iris was embarrassed, and thought that her father would see her trouble dealing with Altissia as a weakness. No matter how many times Cor assured her that Clarus wouldn't judge her harshly for it.

Cor headed out of the room, finding most of the rest of the house awake, and Cor gestured for them to clear out. "Nightmares since Altissia," he mumbled softly, to explain the problem. "Could you... just leave it? She'd embarrassed to feel so weak."

Ignis nodded first, placing a hand on Gladio's shoulder and nudging him back to their room. Noct looked less inclined, but after Gladio had started moving, Ignis gave another tug and Noct headed toward his own room. Velouria joined him on his way to the kitchen.

"Since Altissia?" she asked, while Cor pulled down a teakettle.

"You... heard what happened, right?"

"You nearly died, she killed Titus Drautos to save the courtroom... and you."

Cor nodded, filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove before clicking the unit on. "It's not really anything specific. She'll wake up and not hear me breathing and it freaks her out, or she'll wake up with a blanket or my arm on top of her and it reminds her of him over her. It's not often, but when it happens she's a mess for a few hours."

He then went to scrounge around in the cupboards, and found an herbal tea and then put the bag in a mug while he waited for the water to boil.

"That's terrible... I don't think Clarus or I even knew."

"It makes her feel... weak. She compares herself to Clarus or Gladio or even me, men who've trained for killing a man far longer than her, and had much longer to get hold of the emotions." Cor hated how much it had hurt her, and how much it still haunted her even if it was rarely. "She... I hate how much I caused that. I did it to protect her, and now she's torn up by it."

The kettle started to whistle, and Cor poured some water and waited for the tea to steep. "You know, she's really missed tea with you."

Velouria smiled.

"It's how we first met, actually... Well, Clarus had to go to a meeting with Weskham and Regis made me talk to her because he insisted I needed to stop being a shut in, but I think we talked for an hour at least about tea, and how the two of you enjoyed your blends. She'd bring me some and we'd talk..."

She put a hand to his shoulder. "How sweet. I'd wondered if she was sweet on someone when she kept wanting extra. She never did tell me who she was giving it to. She's liked you for months."

"Three and a half months of flirting without me noticing, and three months of dating after Regis hit me in the head."

"I have to admit, I was a little worried at first."

"Oh?"

"Weeks and weeks and no obvious reciprocation? I was worried she had another hopeless crush."

Cor flushed a little, and then shook his head at his own stupidity. "It would have been if Regis hadn't made me look at her again. I didn't even realize how hard I'd fallen until Regis smacked me with it. Not hopeless at all, Velouria."

"Good," she answered. "Well, that's all that matters to me. It should have been all that mattered to Clarus but you know how he can get about things."

Stubborn didn't begin to describe it.

"Well, I have tea to deliver and likely some shoulders to rub. Maybe tomorrow you two could have a girl's day?" Cor suggested.

Velouria's face lit up. "It won't quite be like home, but there's this tea shop in town I've been meaning to go to, but it hurt to think of going to it without Iris. I'll take her tomorrow."

"Sounds wonderful. I think she'd like some normal tomorrow." Cor gave a nod and then headed back to the room he was sharing with Iris.

"-- blood on my hands, and... It wasn't what I expected," Iris admitted.

Cor nodded to himself and tapped on the door, finally going over to Iris and passing the cup of tea. 

"Thanks."

She patted the bed beside her, and then wrapped her hands around the mug, taking a long, slow inhale. Cor threw an arm over her shoulder and pressed a soft kiss to her temple.

Cor saw that Clarus had largely stopped being irritated at him, obviously better understanding what had led Iris to wake up screaming in the middle of the night and what had caused him to run in with Cor looming over her just after.

"Feeling any better?" he asked her softly, and she nodded.

"I was just... telling dad about... you know."

Cor nodded. "And?"

"You were right." Iris's worry that her father would think less of her... Cor had told her that Clarus wouldn't mind, but his assurances did little compared to her father's.

"I wish I had known you were hurting," Clarus said. "It will lessen in time, alright?"

Iris nodded.

"Now, I'm going to leave you and Cor to get back to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, honey." Clarus stood, and Iris took the opportunity to go up to him and give him a hug before she returned to the bedside and took another sip of tea.

Clarus left them, gently closing the door behind him, and Cor hugged her close and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Told ya," he said with a little chuckle.

"Yeah..." She drank some tea and cuddled close to him, sitting on the bed. "I think... I thought dad would be upset with me, or disappointed, but I think he was more disappointed in himself that he didn't know... that I hadn't told him. He knows why."

Because Clarus had been being an ass and had given Iris no indication he would have been sympathetic to her emotions. "Well... all better?"

"As much as can be," she whispered. "I'm going to finish the tea and rinse my face. You can get back to sleep."

"Not until you're in my arms," he answered. Iris gave him a soft little kiss for that, but Cor did pull away and slide into his side of the bed and closed his eyes. A few moments after, a hand touched his chest, likely searching out his heartbeat, and he placed his hand over hers, holding her to him.

Iris finally slipped away, taking a few moments in the restroom likely to wash away her tears, and then she returned to bed and slipped against him.

"I'm here," he promised her.

"I know."

He closed his eyes and drifted off beside her, arms around her, contented beyond belief.

The next morning broke sunny and warm, and Cor woke just before Iris. Despite the interrupted sleep last night, she woke soon after and then Gladio came to knock on their door. Iris shuffled out, Cor slipped back into bed for a few minutes, before taking the teacup downstairs and making an assessment of the breakfast fixings.

Ignis arrived not long after: "Ah, I usually handle breakfast, Marshal."

Cor spread his hands. "All yours." He then leaned against the counter. "And... I realize it's a bit of a breech of regulation, but off duty you should consider calling me Cor."

Ignis cleared his throat. "I suppose if we're going to be dating siblings, that is a typical courtesy. It will be awkward at first, I imagine."

Cor chuckled. "How do you think Clarus and I feel?" He shook his head, thinking about that again. It would be a long road, Cor imagined. Clarus had certainly put his hand out, and they'd made a first step, but Cor was quite certain it would take far longer to actually solidify their friendship again.

When Iris and Gladio barged through the door some time later, sweaty and smelly and happy, Cor looked at them both, and then at the bright smile on Iris's face. No matter the trouble, she always was there, always beautiful, and Cor never wanted to let her go.

*

All told, it took almost four months, two of them back in Insomnia after the treaty had finished up, for Clarus to finally stop making it seem as though Cor dating Iris was something he grudgingly allowed. Cor remembered quite clearly the first day he stumbled down to check on coffee after spending the night with Iris and Clarus was already up, sipping coffee, and gave him a blase 'Morning, Cor'.

He and Iris had roughly settled into a schedule that worked, split time between the Amicitia Manor and Cor's dinky one bedroom near the Citadel. They both worked at the Citadel, commuting was easy, and dinners with the Amicitias happened more than enough. It was easy and comfortable, and Cor was almost worried how easy it was.

In truth, it was nice to have her by his side. With the end of the war, Cor and the position of Marshal were becoming more and more extraneous. He managed his men, of course, and saw to it that they did their best, trained their hardest, and prepared for peace, but he couldn't deny that he was losing a little bit of what had made him so vital to Lucis.

Cor had even been tasked with training Gladio to take over many of his responsibilities. As Clarus's firstborn he would eventually need to be trained in the many facets of 'Marshal' for his eventual rise to Captain of the Crownsguard, but it didn't help him stave off the occasional feelings he was being replaced.

He talked about it with Clarus some, the feeling of obsolescence, but ultimately it gave him time to be a younger man to some extent, to enjoy things that he never really experienced at eighteen or twenty because he was too busy fighting and killing and trying not to die. A long, romantic walk in one of Insomnia's many parks, fingers twined with a wonderful girlfriend was a sort of novelty even at his age.

They'd been together almost a year and a half when Cor finally asked the question he probably should have a while ago: "My lease is almost up, would you like to move in more permanently, get a larger space?"

"A two bedroom might be nice," she answered, gently plopping yogurt into bowls for the two of them and dishing out some granola and fruit. "But... I mean there's the manor too... Ignis lives with Gladio most of the time."

There was that. "I'm a grumpy old man who likes his space," he admitted.

She smiled at him, and shook her head. "How about we look at bigger places?"

"I know we're still going to spend plenty of time at the Manor, I just like the idea of having more space for us."

Iris gave him a fond smile. "Don't have to justify it. I'm sure you'd like to get your weights out of storage and I wouldn't mind space to relax, or even entertain."

Cor wasn't certain why they would bother entertaining at his apartment, but he supposed Iris had her own way of looking at things sometimes. "Are you going to make me dress up?"

"You look nice dressed up." She turned toward him and ran her hands along his chest. "And... not dressed."

"Mhmm, I could say the same," he answered, a kiss to her jaw causing her to purr. "However, we will be late to work if we undress now."

"Hmf," she said, pulling away and scrounging around to grab their lunches. "Well, off to work, right?"

They made their short walk to the Citadel, greeted at the gate with the customary 'Lady Iris, Marshal' and then he dropped her at her office and promised to meet her for lunch later.

Instead, they both ended up at tea, Clarus had dragged him and Regis, of all people, had dragged Iris to tea. The four of them sat, Iris was far more relaxed by the whole thing than she'd been almost two years ago, and she fell easily into tea, serving herself and putting together her tea.

"So, I take it you haven't thought better of him yet?" Regis asked after they had settled in.

"No, Your Majesty, it seems unlikely," Iris answered.

The two of them had been solid for the time they'd been together. There were the occasional ups and downs: Cor had a well-worn life and routine that Iris interrupted more than he liked sometimes; Iris was free spirited and strong willed, sometimes prone to digging her heels in fast, not unlike her father. They managed. Anger and frustration burned out in a matter of hours or days easily enough, and ultimately they did love each other.

"Good," Regis said, interrupting Cor's recollections. "Well, I have some news for you, dear."

Iris perked up a bit, surprised. "Oh?"

"Do you remember Ambassador Kellam?" Regis asked.

"Sure," Iris answered. "He's the Accordo Ambassador. We didn't meet with him the last time we were there because he was sick, if I recall."

Regis nodded, indicating Iris's recollection was correct. "Well, he's decided to retire, opening up the _very_ enviable position of Lucian Ambassador to Accordo."

"I'm sensing in-fighting on the horizon," Iris answered with a laugh. "Who wouldn't want to work in such a beautiful city? First Secretary Claustra is really wonderful as well, I know some people call her hard, but she's really quite reasonable."

"I don't think there will be much infighting," Regis assured her. "We've already selected the candidate."

Iris nodded, and that was about when Cor realized what must be coming, and he wasn't certain if he was supposed to be upset at Regis and Clarus or not. There was no way Iris would want to pass up the position, but Cor was also bound to his service of the King and Lucis and...

"I hope you'd consider accepting the post."

"... Oh." Iris looked at the King, startled. She obviously hadn't expected it. "A-are you sure? I know it might have a bit of a smell of nepotism if--"

Regis smiled, and then added a little chuckle. "Iris, if I may say, you've become a fixture of the diplomatic scene the last years; everyone who was part of the treaty negotiation is well aware of your acumen and it has nothing to do with who your father is. You seem more reticent than I expected. It's a wonderful posting."

"I know," she answered. "It's a huge honor, I just..." She glanced over to Cor, who was carefully doing everything he could not to show that he was hurt, or annoyed, which of course meant he was obviously both of those things because he was stiff and wooden, not smiling at her.

Regis easily followed her gaze, and perhaps realized some of what her reluctance must have been.

"Well, we wouldn't send you unprotected," Regis assured her. "You're familiar with the Marshal of course."

Iris snorted, realizing exactly what Regis was implying. Cor didn't quite know what to think. Working security at a consulate was quite a downgrade from Marshal, but he also knew that Gladio was supposed to be stepping up, he was heading into his late twenties, about when Cor had become Marshal in his own right.

"Do you want to?" Iris asked him, even though it was quite clear that her answer was yes, she very much wanted to.

Cor thought it over. He was a bit worried about Gladio's fitness and ability to jump into the role with less support, but... "Will that be a problem? Being away from Lucian politics?"

Iris mulled that over for a few moments. "A little, most Ambassadorial terms are about three years, after that..."

"Sweetie," Clarus said, and Iris glanced over to her father, surprised. "I think you know that no matter how high you climb, someone wants to say it's because you climbed on my shoulders. Regis and I wanted to offer you a position somewhere where you could show your skills without it looking as though I'm holding you up. Your brother and I both agree that you should be seated on the Lords' Council instead of him, and I'd like you there in three years."

"Oh," Iris sat, slack jawed, for a brief moment, before composure returned and she looked down at her hands. "I-- I'm going to want briefings," she said. "No point in sitting on the Council if I'm not up to date on the happenings. Gladdy will need to talk to Cor sometimes too, you know for things he hasn't really trained for yet..."

"I suspect there will be plenty of communication between Lucis and Accordo," Clarus answered.

Iris turned back to him, obviously more excited now. Cor, for his own part, couldn't imagine anything that would make her happier. "Sounds great."

"We accept," Iris answered.

"Perfect," Regis answered with a smile. "Now, I think Clarus has a few things to discuss with Cor, I'd like to talk about some particulars with you."

Iris nodded, and Cor excused himself to head off into a corner with Regis.

"I know it's a surprise," Clarus said. "Regis had been considering it for a while, he only let me in on it a few days ago. You've been... a wonderful partner for my daughter these last months, but I also know that Marshal of the Crownsguard isn't much like it was when you first took the post. There's a little culture shock, I think."

"There is," Cor agreed. "I did always know that Gladio would need to rise to the occasion, I suppose I thought it would be... well I figured I'd be in the ground by then."

"No, you're the Immortal," Clarus answered with a pat on the shoulder. "You're fifty, not eighty. The position is yours, you are Marshal of the Crownsguard; Gladio can't replace or even hope to replicate everything you've done for the Crownsguard, and for me and Regis over the years. I want Gladio to spread his wings without you to fall back on, just like I want Iris to show her political skill without me over her shoulder. When that's finished, I want the two of you to work together in the position."

Cor nodded. It did make sense, Gladio did rely on Cor too much from time to time, this would open him up to more choice and more potential trouble, but it was the best way to learn.

Clarus had pointed him towards the Niffs with a katana and a little bit of training thirty-seven years ago, he supposed it was a fair thing to do to Gladio at twenty-eight.

"You sold me."

"Now... on a more personal note: would it kill you two to think about getting married and giving me and Louri some grand babies?"

Cor sputtered, and cleared his throat. "Um... we'd been talking about it," Cor admitted. "Nothing set in stone. I still wanted to, you know, ask your permission. It's pretty standard since Iris is an aristocrat, I just..."

"Approved," Clarus interrupted him. "Take your time, I'm just happy to know it's actually on your mind."

"There's..." He smiled, a memory of almost two years ago coming to his mind. "There's this beautiful ice cream parlor where we had one of our first dates, before I realized we were dating." He chuckled. "Might, uh... be a good spot for a proposal?"

"Sounds perfect," Clarus assured him.

"It does, doesn't it?" he asked, rhetorical obviously, but in truth he really couldn't believe it. He'd gone from slightly dreading the end of the war to being beyond glad that he and Iris could build a life together without war... he could... raise his children in a world no longer in fear of war.

"Clarus, I swear, she's the best thing that ever happened to me... Regis being a meddling shit because I needed to get out more... and I just still remember how delightful she was to talk to and be with... I'll treat her right."

"I know," Clarus answered. "It's... hard for a father to let go of his daughter, to realize that she's grown up and become her own woman. As much as I do sometimes wish she'd picked someone... more her own age, I can't deny that you two are a damn good match, and you bring out the best in each other. You two had better call."

"Sure thing... Dad." Cor smirked and Clarus took a moment to look gut punched.

"Oh now you're fighting dirty." 

The two of them laughed on their way back to the table, Iris hopping up to greet him with an enthusiastic kiss. "This'll be great," she informed him, smiling and bright.

"I look forward to every minute of it," he assured her, because he did.

[fin]


End file.
